TWI

A fully coupled thermomechanical three dimensional finite element (FE) model was developed to analyse the thermomechanical conditions, including material flow and heat generation, at the tool/matrix interface in friction stir welding. The model was …

The effect of welding conditions (tool rotational speed and tool holding time) on static strength was studied for dissimilar friction stir spot welds between 2017-T6 (Al, 3.5-4.5%Cu, 0.8-1.5%Mg) and 5052 (Al, 2.2-2.8%Mg) aluminium alloy sheets (thic…

Friction stir welding (FSW) studies were undertaken to join sheet and plate specimens of aluminium alloys in a butt joint configuration, and design of experiments methods were employed to optimise process parameters with respect to weldment quality …

Following an overview of initial work on friction stir welding (FSW) of titanium alloys, developments in the stationary shoulder FSW (SSFSW) technique are described, highlighting the potential of the SSFSW approach to increase welding speed (up to 2…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were performed on Al-based alloys prepared by direct-chill casting and continuous casting, and the influence of intermetallic particles and process parameters on onion ring zone morphology and microstructure w…

A method was developed to integrate basic force control functionalities into a CNC milling machine for friction stir welding (FSW) by using a standard CNC controller, optimum control parameters for various FSW conditions were identified and the forc…

The CFD (computational fluid dynamics) technique was employed to develop a numerical model of friction stir welding (FSW) of DH36 steel (0.16%C, 1.2%Mn, 0.02%Cr, 0.02%Nb, 0.04%Al, 0.03%Cu) plate (thickness 6 mm) under low and high welding speed cond…

Al, 50%Si alloys were joined by friction stir welding (FSW) on spray deposited sheets (thickness 1.5 mm) for butt welding and powder metallurgy plates (thickness 10 mm) for surface welding and the welded joint surface quality and microstructure were…

The influence of joining parameters on the microstructure, intermetallics, hardness, shear properties and tensile strength of dissimilar friction stir welds between AA1050 aluminium alloy and hot-stamped boron steels was investigated. Overlap welds …

The relationship between the friction stir weld (FSW) microstructure and local corrosion susceptibility of three aluminium alloy (2024-T351, 7010-T7651 and 5456-H116) plates (4.5-12.7 mm thickness) as well as a dissimilar 2024/7010 weld was investig…

Friction stir welding of DH-36 mild steel sheet was evaluated for shipbuilding applications. Butt welds were prepared in sheet of 4.6 mm (0.18 in) thickness using an unthreaded tool (W, 25%Re) rotating at 400 or 500 rpm and travelling at 203 mm/min …

As part of a study investigating FSW as a method for joining the lids on copper canisters for the long term storage of nuclear waste, the development of microstructure and heat flow during the FSW process was experimentally investigated. The microst…

The weldability of 2 mm thickness thixomoulded sheets of AZ91D magnesium alloy by friction stir welding (FSW) was studied as a function of tool rotation speed (880-1750 rpm) and specimen travel speed (50-500 mm/min). The composition of the sheet was…

An instrumented constrained Charpy test was used to measure the fracture toughness of friction stir welded joints produced using several designs of welding tool in sheet aluminium alloys 6082 (4.7 mm) and 7108 (3.2, 5.0 mm). This test constrained pl…

A series of models was used to study weld formation in 6000-series aluminium alloy in the friction stir welding process. Weld formation was considered as three separate thermomechanical processes: coupled friction heat generation; plastic flow slip …

Full field displacement measurement with digital image correlation was used to study the mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints in aluminium alloy plates. Welds were made in 5454-O and 5454-H sheet of 3.9 mm thickness, and 2195-T8 plat…

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) was employed to fabricate lap joints in hot extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets (thickness 2 mm), and the effect of introducing nanostructured SiC particles (mean size 40 nm) on the microstructure and mechanical pr…

Quantification approaches applied to phase space data generated from friction stir welding aluminium alloys under varying process conditions are reported. A multi-step, micro-wormhole, non-destructive evaluation phase-spaced, (PS) algorithm that com…

Numerical simulations and experimental tests were undertaken to visualise material flow and to study the effect of the flow field on the mixing mechanism and particle break-up in friction stir welding of metal matrix composites. A 3D thermo-fluid mo…

Friction stir welding (FSW) is discussed in manufacture of a sports car body made largely of aluminium alloy sheet with some components of cast aluminium or extruded aluminium, and the only steel used is the frame for the windscreen. Advantages are …