TWI

A description is presented of the process flow of a production job based on friction stir welding (FSW) for the serial production of aluminium drying trays for the food industry. FSW joint quality issues (joint impermeability, weld surface quality a…

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 …

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…

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, …

Butt joints were fabricated in AA 6061-T6 (Al, 0.8%Mg, 0.6%Si) and AA 6082-T6 (Al, 0.62%Mg, 0.99%Si, 0.49%Mn) plates (thickness 6 mm) by friction stir welding, and the tensile and fatigue properties of the weldments were investigated. The microstruc…

Friction stir welding experiments using a W-Re pin tool were undertaken on thermohydrogen processed Ti, 6-6.2%Al, 4.15-4.18%V, 0-0.5%H alloys to investigate the effect of hydrogen content on weldability, and the welded joint morphology, microstructu…

A silicon nitride (Si3N4) tool with a threaded pin was used for friction spot joining of ultralow carbon (0.004-0.01%C, 0.1-0.16%Mn) and DP 590 grade dual-phase high-strength steel (0.06%C, 0.49%Si, 1.23%Mn) sheets, and the microstructure and mechan…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was employed to join various aerospace aluminium alloys, the welded joints were characterised with respect to microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, and the effects of post-weld artificial ageing …

With regard to the fabrication of closure welds for used fuel containers, a series of experiments was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of creating defect-free partial penetration welds by friction stir welding (FSW) in A516 Grade 70 steel (…

The application of suitable friction stir welding (FSW) tools and procedures to common structural geometries in industry, with emphasis of FSW of hard metals including steel, titanium and nickel based alloys in butt, T-joint, corner joint and circum…

Extruded AZ31 (Mg, 3%Al, 1%Zn) alloy plates (thickness 6 mm) were joined by one-run or two-run friction stir welding (FSW) and the microstructure, mechanical properties and residual stress characteristics of the welded joints were investigated. FSW …

With regard to the occurrence of residual oxide defects associated with friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium alloys, an investigation is presented into a possible alternative mechanism for oxide formation within the weld nugget involving enhance…

Dissimilar butt joints between die-cast ADC12 aluminium alloy (Al, 11.53%Si, 2.02%Cu) and S45C carbon steel (0.46%C, 0.64%Mn, 0.12%Cu) were fabricated by friction stir welding and their static strength and fatigue properties were investigated. Weldi…

A friction stir welding (FSW) procedure using a W-Re alloy tool, magnetic welding fixture and a high-speed steel backing bar was developed for application to precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel (13.7%Cr, 7.1%Ni) thin sheet (thickness …

A methodology incorporating friction stir processing (for plasticising) and friction stir welding (for joining components) was developed to fabricate T-shaped copper conductor rails. Experiments were undertaken on copper plate specimens (thickness 8…

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…

The design and construction of a prototype fixture and a corner fixture for making 90 degree corner joints in aluminium alloys by friction stir welding (FSW) are described. The requirements for a FSW weld fixture are outlined. The fixtures were test…

The friction stir welding of copper for the production of spent nuclear fuel storage disposal canisters was investigated. Initial trials were conducted on UNS-C10100 plate of 10 mm thickness. The high temperatures required the use of a sintered tung…