TWI Digital Library

Friction stir welds in S355 carbon manganese steel plate of 12 mm thickness were characterised by microstructural studies and measurements of mechanical properties. A tungsten-rhenium alloy tool with a pin length of 7.5 mm was used, running at 400 r…

Friction stir welding was evaluated as a cheaper alternative to the use of fasteners for the joining of lap joints of the aluminium alloy 7075-T351 motor thrust frame of the Ariane 5 rocket. In initial trials to optimise the tool design for lap join…

The use of phased array ultrasonics for the detection of small defects in welds is described, and illustrated using a series of examples of friction stir welded aluminium alloy plate. Phased arrays use an array of ultrasonic elements pulsed with dif…

A discussion is presented on research being undertaken to evaluate friction stir welding (FSW) as a suitable method for joining Airbus aircraft wing structures made of 2000 and 7000 series aluminium alloys. Suitable FSW machines were developed and v…

An investigation was undertaken to explore the feasibility of welding baseline aerospace aluminium alloys along with additional constituents, such as coatings and a faying surface sealant, by the refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) technique a…

Spot welds were fabricated in DC01 mild steel and HC 420-LA high strength steel sheets (thickness 1 mm) by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) using various pinless tools and process parameters, and thermographic analysis together with microstructural…

The material point method based on NairnMPM software was employed to formulate a 2D model of elastoplastic material flow around a friction stir welding (FSW) tool probe and to examine 2D elastoplastic deformation and the frictional interaction at th…

3rd International Symposium, 27-28 Sep 2001, Poster Session, Paper 13

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…

A combined analytical and experimental study was carried out to determine power, heat input, tool shoulder temperature and process efficiency for the FSW of aluminium alloys, carbon steels and titanium alloys and to compare heat input with that for …

Thick sheets (thickness 5.4 mm) of a ferritic stainless steel (18.33%Cr, 1.81%Mo, 0.2%Nb) were joined by friction stir welding with optimised process parameters (rotational speed 200 rpm, welding speed 100-160 mm/min) and the microstructure and mech…

An empirical process model to estimate tool shoulder temperature for different materials and friction stir welding (FSW) conditions is described that incorporates a design of experiments method and linear regression analysis (MATLAB software) with c…

The present study developed analytical techniques for analysis of welds from various thickness and welding tool designs by expressing the variables of interest in terms of unit area of welding tool surface. Previously, a method of expressing the spi…

Dissimilar joints between AA 6063 aluminium alloy and S45C steel were fabricated by friction stir welding and the growth behaviour of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the weld interface during PWHT was investigated. Welding was performed at a rotat…

Lap joints between 2 mm aluminium alloy sheet in 2024-T3 (Al, 4.4%Cu, 1.5%Mg, 0.6%Mn) and 7075-T6 (Al, 1.6%Cu, 2.5%Mg, 0.23%Cr, 5.6%Zn) were prepared and evaluated. The welds were produced using a range of welding and tool speeds, with a non-threade…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was used to form lap joints in two aluminium alloys: A5182 without heat treatment and AlMg0.5Si1 sheet in T4 condition. Sheet thicknesses of 1 and 2 mm were used. The effects of tool rotation direction were assessed. The …

Two types of WC-Co hard alloy tools (threaded and smooth) were used to friction stir weld an AC4A aluminium matrix composite (Al, 9%Si reinforced with 30 vol.% SiC particles) and the wear behaviour of the tools was investigated. Samples were butt we…

Tensile testing was used to characterise and compare the fracture locations and their influencing factors for a number of friction stir welded aluminium materials (AA-1050, AA-2017, AA-6061). Friction stir welding was carried out on sheets of thickn…

The use of friction stir welding, as an alternative to bolted or riveted joints, for the assembly of Airbus wings is discussed. Issues considered include: cost reduction, weight reduction, joint quality, and enhanced in-service performance. Potentia…

The mechanical properties and microstructures of friction stir butt welds in 6.4 mm and 12.7 mm thickness quenched and tempered martensitic steel plate were compared with those of GMA butt welds in the same parent metal. The friction stir welds in t…