TWI Digital Library

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…

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 …

Aluminium alloy 7050-T751 was friction stir welded using a range of process parameters, and finite element analysis was used to calculate the time-temperature distributions so that the resultant weld properties could be related to the welding parame…

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…

The use of friction stir welding for the repair of cracks in aluminium alloy 2024 aircraft wing skin structures, and the repair fatigue life were investigated. An artificial crack, 42 mm in length, in a flat section 2024-T351 alloy of 3.2 mm thickne…

Friction stir welding was used to produce a space shuttle external barrel section of 2195-T8 Al-Cu-Li alloy. Seven panels (joint thickness of 8.1 mm (0.32 in)) were joined to form a barrel 8.4 m (27.5 ft) in diameter and 4.6 m (15 ft) long. A comput…

The microstructure, crystallographic texture and grain distribution were determined in a transverse cross section of a friction stir weld and in a plan-view section through the embedded friction stir welding (FSW) tool. The weld was obtained by FSW …

The microstructure, mechanical properties and fatigue behaviour of friction stir welded (FSW) and MIG welded butt joints in aluminium alloy 2519-T87 (Al, 5.3-6.4%Cu, 0.1-0.5%Mn, 0.02-0.1%Ti) plate of 25.4 mm thickness were compared. Friction stir we…

The distortion, mechanical properties and microstructure of friction stir, submerged arc and GMA welds in HSLA-65 steel (0.09%C, 1.32-1.39%Mn, 0.01-0.06%Ni, 0.041-0.067%V, 0.03-0.035%Nb) and DH-36 steel (0.18%C, 0.90-1.60%Mn, 0.25%Cr, 0.40%Ni, 0.08%…

A description is presented on the friction stir welding (FSW) equipment developed for the joining of thin gauge complex-contour aluminium structures for the construction of the Eclipse 500 twin-engine jet aircraft. The design and capabilities of the…

The use of a new tool material, polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), developed by Brigham Young University in association with Advanced Metal Products, for friction stir welding (FSW) high-temperature materials was investigated. The manufactu…

Friction stir welding tool developments to enhance the range of process applications, welding speed and quality are described. The scroll shoulder tool has a shoulder profile which moves surface material towards the probe. It improves surface qualit…

An analysis procedure was developed to relate the geometry and microstructure of lap configuration friction spot welds to the joints' mechanical behaviour. Using 2 mm thickness aluminium alloy AA 2024-T3 sheet as the basis for simulation, a three-di…

The material flow and microstructural evolution during friction stir processing of A356 cast alloy (Al, 7%Si, 0.3%Mg, 6.4 mm thickness) using tools of H13 tool steel were investigated. The deformation and microstructure in the stir zone were studied…

A review is presented of the state-of-the-art of industrial friction stir welding (FSW) mass production, current trends, challenges and market demands as well as the potential of high speed complex contour welding on multi-axis FSW machinery with re…

The material flow in dissimilar material friction stir welding (FSW) between AA 6063 alloy (Al, 0.5%Mg, 0.43%Si) and S45C carbon steel (0.43%C, 0.25%Si, 0.77%Mn) was investigated by determining the 3D forces acting on the welded joint and the intern…

The ScanStir framework, comprising an experimental friction stir welding (FSW) set-up, numerical models based on open source finite element method software packages, and a high performance computer, was used to simulate the residual stress profile i…

Samples of AA 2219 aluminium alloy (Al, 5.8-6.8%Cu, 0.2-0.4%Mn) produced by electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3), a wire fed process for additive manufacturing, were joined by friction stir welding (FSW) and the microstructure and mechanical pr…

An investigation incorporating experimental measurements and thermomechanical simulations was undertaken to examine the effects of underwater friction stir welding (FSW) on an AISI 321 stainless steel sheet (thickness 3 mm) and to analyse the mechan…