TWI

Butt joints were fabricated in AA 2219-T87 aluminium alloy panels (thickness 6.35 mm) by friction stir welding (FSW), and force data collected during welding were analysed using an unsupervised matched filter technique to classify weldment segments …

Friction stir welding (FSW) trials were carried out for thin HSLA-65 steel plate (6 mm thickness) to evaluate the potential benefits of using induction preheat. Other studies including tool design and multi-run welding are also evaluated as methods …

An investigation is presented into the development of a flexible 3D friction stir welding (FSW) process capacity incorporating a rail mounted industrial robot to facilitate high production rate repair of aluminium cathodes for electro refining opera…

An integrated modelling approach, incorporating coupled process, material response and material performance models, was developed and implemented for use in friction stir welding (FSW) of aerospace structures. The process model employed was a dynami…

With regard to the fabrication of hollow structures by the inversion friction stir welding (IV-FSW) technique, welded joints were fabricated in A-1050 and A-6061 aluminium alloy and SPCC steel sheets (thickness 2 mm) by IV-FSW and their surface appe…

A fully integrated approach to facilitate optimisation of the friction stir welding (FSW) process was developed, incorporating a model for the FSW process, coupling material flow and thermal analysis, a model for precipitation evolution, a microstru…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was employed to fabricate butt joints in AW 5083 (Al, 4-4.9%Mg, 0.4-1%Mn) aluminium alloy plates (thickness 10 mm) and the influence of process parameters and tool geometry on the character and quality of welded joints wa…

An investigation is presented into the influence of tool flats, tool runout magnitude and relative tool runout orientation on the high speed forces acting transversely and longitudinally on the friction stir welding tool. Partial penetration bead-on…

An experimental investigation was undertaken to study the effects of different pin profiles (threaded conical, square, pentagon and hexagon) and the same process parameters on temperature distribution around the tool and resulting microstructure dur…

A friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process was employed to fabricate dissimilar joints between an AA 5754 aluminium alloy and an AZ31 magnesium alloy in a lap joint configuration using a Zn layer at the interface to suppress intermetallic formation…

Shipbuilding applications of friction stir welding in the production of prefabricated aluminium alloy sections are described. Panels of up to 13 x 16 m, thickness 3-7 mm, may be produced with close tolerances and good surface finish, reducing cost a…

WC, 12%Co cemented carbide layers were deposited onto M2 tool steel (0.8-0.88%C, 3.8-4.5%Cr, 4.7-5.2%Mo, 5.9-6.7%W, 1.7-2.1%V) substrates by HVOF spraying and the effect of subsequent friction stir processing (FSP) on bonding strength and cermet coa…

With regard to the development of ausformed H13 tool steel for high strength friction stir welding (FSW) tools, an investigation was undertaken to explore methods to improve equal channel angle extrusion (ECAE) as the deformation step. Studies invol…

A moving gantry five axis CNC friction stir welding (FSW) machine was developed to facilitate the production of complex curved fuselage components (e.g. stringer and frame) based on third generation 2A97 Al-Li alloys. A ribbed curved component incor…

A coupled numerical and experimental investigation was undertaken to examine residual stress fields and thermal distortion in lap joints made from AA 5754-H22 alloy sheets (thickness 1 mm) by friction stir welding in order to examine the influence o…

Lap joints were fabricated in 2024-T3 aluminium alloy sheets (thickness 1 or 0.6 mm) by refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) and the influence of tool sleeve depth on joint quality was investigated. Welding was performed at tool depths of 1.1-1…

To understand the influence of dwell time in friction stir welding (FSW) and thus to optimise its value, spot welds were produced between superposed sheets of 6008 aluminium alloy and industrial steel (thickness 2.5 and 2 mm, respectively), and thei…

A direct modelling approach ("SAMCEF" software finite element simulation) coupled with an inverse model, based on genetic algorithm optimisation (MAX software), was applied to the friction stir welding (FSW) process for two aluminium alloys (6005A-T…

Friction stir welding was conducted on Al alloy 6005A-T6 plates of 6 mm thickness. The power input was determined from torque measurements. The effects of advancing speed and rotation speed on total power input were examined. Thermal cycles were mea…

A friction stir channelling process to promote a distinct material flow was developed, in which a controlled amount of viscoplasticised material from the metal workpiece flows out from the processed zone producing an internal channel without any gap…