TWI Digital Library

A review is presented of the progressive emergence of conceptual tools associated with friction stir welding (FSW) at the Marshall Space Flight Center, USA, from the discovery of the shear surface, wiping metal transfer and the invention of a kinema…

Sleeve plunge friction spot welding was employed to join AA5042 aluminium alloys under various process conditions and the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Welding was performed using a three-piece …

Work from two projects is described: "Qualistir" for the on-line quality control of friction stir welding in aluminium (by ultrasonic phased array examination of butt welded Al 7075); and a TWI feasibility study on inspection of Al 5083 butt and lap…

The influences of the thermal and mechanical stresses experienced during friction stir welding on the structure of coarse-grained aluminium alloy 2519-T87 were investigated. Plate of 25 mm thickness was welded at a speed of 1.5 mm/s, using a tool sp…

Tapered probe and parallel probe tools were employed in friction stir welding of thick section AA 6082-T6 aluminium alloy specimens (thickness 38 mm) and the effect of tool geometry on weldment microstructure and crystallographic texture was investi…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were undertaken on commercially pure Ti and Ti-6%Al-4%V plates (thickness 6 mm) by incorporating nickel foil markers of varying thicknesses to reduce forging load, enhance surface finish, eliminate void format…

A 3D fully coupled computational fluid dynamics model was established to investigate the heat generation and material flow during friction stir welding, and the measured tool torque and axial force were used to characterise the contact conditions (f…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was carried out on AZ31 magnesium alloy (Mg, 3%Al, 1%Zn) plates of thickness 6 mm in order to examine the relationship between weld microtexture and tensile properties. Orientation imaging microscopy was used to examine m…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was applied to the 10 mm thick plate for the Fe-Mn-Si (FMS) alloy using a polycrystalline cubic born nitride (pcBN) tool. The sound FSW joint was obtained without macro-defects although small pores were slightly distribut…

The origin of the lines of micrometre sized oxide particles observed in aluminium alloy friction stir welds was investigated. Butt and bead on plate welds were prepared using 6 mm plate of aluminium (99.999%Al and 99.5%Al) and aluminium alloy 6056 (…

Thermomechanical and microstructural modelling were performed for the friction stir welding process, simulating the thermal diffusion during and after welding (in the cooling stage), and comparing the results with experimental data obtained for fric…

An approach to welded joint inspection incorporating in situ characterisation of weld quality was developed to facilitate the detection of discontinuities (e.g. voids and volume defects) during friction stir welding (FSW). FSW experiments were perfo…

A report is presented into the friction stir welding (FSW) fabrication of an aluminium deck for a pedestrian bridge over the Petite Decharge river (Alma, Quebec, Canada), incorporating the design and manufacturing of extrusions, FSW tools and a syst…

The design of a polycrystalline cubic boron nitride friction stir welding tool, tool holder and machine for use with high melting temperature materials is described. A polycrystalline cubic boron nitride truncated cone tool tip, capable of working a…

Friction stir welding (FSW) using a milling machine was employed to join AA-6063-T6 alloy (Al, 0.51%Mg, 0.42%Si) pipes (diameter 110 mm, thickness 5 mm) with the aim of eliminating ploughing problems, and weld zone microstructures were studied as a …

AA 6063-T5 aluminium alloy L-shape stringers (thickness 2 mm) were friction stir welded in an overlap configuration positioned over AA 2024-T3 sheets (thickness 3 mm) using various process conditions and three different tool designs with respect to …

To better understand the heat generation, temperature distribution and material flow during friction stir welding (FSW), experiments, including some with a pin breaking technique, were undertaken on two aluminium alloys (5083-O (Al, 4.5%Mg) rolled p…

A numerical simulation is presented for the development and integration of a pin tool for friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium alloys. The Triflute tool design was optimised. The macro- and microstructure of lap joints in A6N01 alloys were studi…

An investigation is presented into tool material development of large polycrystalline cubic BN blanks to facilitate friction stir welding of thick section steel specimens (thickness 9.5 or 20 mm). Tool materials were produced from 90% polycrystallin…

An investigation is presented into the effect of a paint bake cycle on the performance of friction stir spot welded (FSSW) joints fabricated in heat-treatable 6111-T4 aluminium alloy automotive sheets (thickness 0.93 mm) using a pinless tool and sho…