TWI

Dissimilar joints between 6061-T4 aluminium alloy and S45C steel sheets (thickness 1.6 mm and 1 mm, respectively) were fabricated by the friction stir clinching technique using two types of tools and their mechanical properties and failure modes wer…

Friction stir linear welding and friction stir spot welding techniques were employed to fabricate robust and reliable welded joints for automotive front end substructure applications between AA6022-T4 aluminium alloy and AM60B magnesium alloy sheets…

The surface quality, microstructure and crystallographic texture were investigated as a function of traverse speed for friction stir welds of Ti-6Al-4V, produced using static shoulder tools consisting of a tungsten-rhenium probe and a silicon nitrid…

As part of a study investigating friction stir welding (FSW) as a method for joining the lids on copper canisters for the long term storage of nuclear waste, finite element modelling was used to analyse heat flow and material flow and the developmen…

The effects of tool shoulder size and tilt angle on the formation of weld zones during the friction stir welding of aluminium alloys were studied. Aluminium alloy 5083 (Al, 4.2%Mg, 0.2%Si, 0.6%Mn, 0.15%Fe, 0.09%Cr, 0.09%Zn, 0.06%Cu, 0.02%Ti), an all…

The microstructure and mechanical properties (hardness profiles, tensile strength) of friction stir welded (FSW) joints of ZL114A cast aluminium alloy (Al, 6.5-7.5%Si, 0.45-0.6%Mg), a material of interest for applications in the aerospace industry, …

Friction stir welding (FSW) was applied to the magnesium alloy AZ91 (Mg, 8.21%Al, 0.64%Zn), optimum welding parameters were derived, structural and mechanical properties of the weld zone were determined, and the influence of microstructure on weld p…

The use of friction stir welding to produce aluminium alloy tailor welded blanks for automotive applications was investigated by measuring the hardness and microstructure of friction stir welds in aluminium alloy 5052 (Al, 2.46%Mg, 0.24%Fe, 0.15%Cr,…

Torsion testing was carried out using a range of temperatures and strains to simulate the formation of nugget zone grain structures in friction stir welds of a typical aluminium alloy (7010) in order to investigate the formation mechanisms. Electron…

The effects of pre and post weld heat treatments on the strength, fracture toughness and fatigue crack propagation of welds made by friction stir welding (FSW) in aluminium alloy 6013-T6 sheet material, which may replace the 2024-T3 skin alloy for f…

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…

A stop-action technique was used to stop tool motion during friction stir welding of aluminium alloys in order to study the interactions between the parent material and welding tool pin in the keyhole. Welds were made in 25 mm thick Al-Cu-Li 2195 pl…

Following an overview of friction stir spot welding (FSSW) for potential automotive applications (including robotic FSSW in poke welding and C-frame configurations, and pedestal FSSW machines for manual, automatic or robotic use), a FSSW process dev…

Variations in microstructure in friction stir welds in AA 7449 (Al, 2.2%Mg, 8.2%Zn, 1.7%Cu, 0.12%Si, 0.15%Fe, 0.2%Mn, 0.05%Cr, 0.25 T plus Zr) in the initially overaged (T7) condition were studied. Isothermal heat treatments were conducted at 350 an…