TWI Digital Library

In order to develop a method for microjoining by friction stir welding (FSW), micro-FSW trials were conducted on Mg alloy AZ31 (2.97%Al, 0.83%Zn) thin sheets (0.4 mm thickness), and the welding performance was assessed. The micro-FSW system incorpor…

A device was designed and manufactured to facilitate accurate monitoring of forces, torque and tool temperature during friction stir welding (FSW) and for use as a weld quality indicator in relation to issues such as tool wear, lack of tool penetrat…

In the last fifteen years, friction stir welding has developed from a laboratory curiosity to an important fabrication technique for lightweight, lower softening temperature alloys. Industrial implementation of joining magnesium has been limited alm…

A simultaneous double sided corner Ad-Stir fillet stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW) process was developed for LNG (liquefied natural gas) storage tank construction. The microstructure and mechanical properties of welded joints were i…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was carried out on A-6N01-T5 aluminium alloy of thickness 15 mm in various restraint conditions, and the amount of deformation before and after welding was investigated. Vertical distortion and lateral shrinkage of the we…

A new "stop action" technique was used to investigate material flow during the friction stir welding of aluminium alloy 6061-T6 plate of thickness 6.4 mm (0.25 in). The technique involved stopping the welding process and examining the microstructure…

An investigation was made of approaches to tool design for the self reacting pin tool (SRPT) (bobbin tool) to mitigate the effects of friction stir welding owing to enlarged grains that occur in large structural extrusions, in order to yield accepta…

Analytical modelling and experimental measurements were undertaken to investigate a dual-loop temperature control algorithm for friction stir processing, incorporating an inner loop to maintain constant power and an outer loop to set the power based…

Dissimilar lap joints between ASTM A36 low carbon steel and Inconel 625 (Ni, 21.4%Cr, 9.65%Mo, 3.2%Nb, 2.6%Fe) were fabricated by friction stir welding (FSW) and the effects of process parameters on microstructure and hardness were investigated. FSW…

A simplified friction stir welding (FSW) tool equipped with an adjustable probe was developed, FSW trial results with prototype tools were obtained and were analysed in terms of weldability. The simplified tools were realised by devising shoulders f…

The development and use of friction stir powder processing (FSPP) to overcome defect formation and to control mechanical properties is discussed and FSPP of AA 1050 aluminium (Al, 0.06%Si, 0.34%Fe, 0.02%Cu) is reported. In FSPP, powder with a contro…

A numerical model of the friction stir welding (FSW) process was developed by employing finite element analysis of a non-Newtonian fluid to evaluate plastic deformation and heat generation of the weld material, and was applied to the design of tool …

The influence of tool and plate positions on the friction stir welding of F82H ferritic/martensitic steel (0.1%C, 8%Cr, 2%W, 0.2%V, 0.04%Ta) and austenitic stainless steels 304 and 316 was investigated. Stainless steel compositions were: 304 (0.08%C…

A production-capable friction stir welding (FSW) process was developed for butt welds (penetration 25.4 mm) in 6061-T6 aluminium alloys, designed specifically for robotic welding of large box assemblies requiring many multi-dimensional weld paths, a…

An investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of adding aluminium to magnesium on the strength of dissimilar joints between steel and magnesium fabricated by friction stir welding. The materials studied were pure 3N magnesium, AZ31 (Mg, 2.9%…

Dissimilar butt joints were fabricated between two aluminium alloys, 2017A-T451 (Al, 4.14%Cu, 0.72%Mg) and AlSi9Mg (Al, 8.6%Si, 0.31%Mg), by friction stir welding (FSW) using a dual-speed tool and their microstructure and mechanical properties were …

An investigation was carried out in order to examine the feasibility of producing friction stir welded FSW T-joints using the corner fillet geometry. A specific tool comprising a rotating pin (made of MP159) with a 45 degree inclination to the two p…

A discussion is presented on the development of a FSW process for the welding of thin gauge aluminium alloy lap joints in the fuselage and wing sections of the Eclipse 500 twin-engine jet aircraft. The issues of pin tool geometry for use on lap join…

Friction stir welding tool developments to enhance the range of process applications, welding speed and quality are described. The scroll shoulder tool has a shoulder profile which moves surface material towards the probe. It improves surface qualit…

The relationship between microstructure and hardness was investigated in friction stir welded aluminium alloy 6063-T5. The alloy thickness was 6 mm. Hardness profiles were measured across the stir zone. The microstructure of the as-welded and postwe…