TWI Digital Library

An investigation was undertaken to evaluate the separation forces exerted by the tool on the fixture compared to the weld process loads generated during butt welding of self reacting bobbin friction stir welds. Two tempers of an aluminium alloy were…

Very high speed (10m/min [394 ipm]) friction stir welding (FSW) was demonstrated in both 2 mm thick AA6061-T6 and AA5051-H32. For AA6061-T6, weld parameters of 2,025 kg (4,500 lbs.) at 10,000 rpm and for AA5052-H32 weld parameters of 1,665 kg (3,700…

The effects of stir rod angle (0-3 degrees), rotation speed (500-2500 rpm) and travel speed (1-8 mm/s) on metal flow in friction stir welds in pure aluminium (A-1100) and an Al-0.5%Mg alloy (A-5005) were studied. The microstructure, hardness and ten…

The development of robots, tools and control systems for three-dimensional friction stir welding of aluminium alloy plate up to 10 mm thickness is described. Robots have been developed with a triangulated arm construction, which provides the necessa…

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…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were undertaken on Invar 36 alloy (Fe,36%Ni) sheet specimens (thickness 3 mm) and the microstructure evolution and recrystallisation mechanism were investigated. Bead-on-plate FSW was performed using a polycry…

Dissimilar joints between wrought 5083 and 6111 aluminium alloys and between AZ31 magnesium alloy and 6111 were fabricated by friction stir welding and their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The starting materials were 508…

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the link between the microstructure and the mechanical and corrosion properties for a friction stir welded aerospace aluminium alloy 7349-T6 (Al, 1.4-2.1%Cu, 1.8-2.7%Mg, 7.5-8.7%Zn) developed for …

The feasibility of friction stir welding (FSW) HSLA-65 steel (0.10%C, 1.4%Mn), which is being considered by the US Navy for ship structural applications, was assessed. Single-pass FSW was performed on 6.4 mm (0.25 in) plates and two-pass FSW was per…

In battery cell assembly, tab-to-busbar joint connections are usually done by welding incompatible metals such as Ni and Al. Micro friction stir welding is becoming increasingly popular as a joining method due to its solid-state nature. Nonetheless,…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were conducted on X52 and X60 pipeline steel specimens (outer diameter 324 mm, wall thickness 6.35 mm) and weldment integrity was evaluated by metallography, NDE and mechanical properties characterisation. Wel…

A friction stir spot welding process was employed to fabricate dissimilar joints between 6016 aluminium alloy (Al, 1-1.5%Si, 0.25-0.6%Mg) and galvanised HSLA 280 phosphorus-hardened cold rolled steel (0.08%C, 1.3%Mn, 0.1%Ti, 0.08%Al, 0.09%P), and th…

With regard to the development of friction stir welding (FSW) processes for joining large thin walled 3D structures in aircraft fuselage applications, an investigation is presented into the "LuFo IV" machine concept, incorporating clamping, position…

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) experiments were undertaken on sheet specimens (thickness 1.3 mm) of AZ31 magnesium alloy (Mg, 3%Al, 1%Zn) and the effects of process conditions and workpiece surface condition on the macrostructure, microtexture an…

Two common approaches to describe kinematics in simulations of the friction stir welding (FSW) process, the Lagrangian representation and the Eulerian representation, were compared using "ABAQUS/Explicit" and "FLUENT" software programs, and the infl…

Friction stir welding (FSW) of 2219-T6 aluminium alloys (Al, 6.48%Cu) was undertaken with the assistance of micro-plasma arc preheating, and welding efficiency as well as joint microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. Longitudinal…

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) experiments were conducted between AA 5052 aluminium alloy and an SP-270C low carbon steel under various process conditions (tool rotation speed 1000-5000 rpm, plunge depth 0.1-0.7 mm), and the microstructure and me…

The material flow of aluminium alloy and steel during dissimilar friction stir spot welding was visualised using zinc tracers and the surface temperature of the flat-tipped tool during stirring was measured by telemetry. Welds were produced in AA505…

The swept frequency friction stir spot welding technique was employed to fabricate lap joints in 6061 aluminium alloy workpieces and the influence of process parameters on mechanical properties was investigated. Welding experiments were conducted us…

The details and methodology of an automatic path planning system for friction stir processing (FSP) of castings are presented, incorporating the means by which operator input is minimised, the limitations and challenges of the automatic programming …