TWI Digital Library

An overview is presented of the twenty year history and technological developments relating to the application of friction stir welding (FSW) to aluminium alloy railway car body shells. Issues discussed include the history of railway car body shell …

An investigation is presented into a methodology for simulating the entire friction stir welding (FSW) process using a hybrid mesh free method on a graphics processing unit (GPU) and its implementation for different FSW applications such as butt joi…

The feasibility of using friction stir welding (FSW) in the construction of an aircraft central wing box from butt-welded extrusions was evaluated. An FSW procedure for welding 7055 T77511 and 7349 T6511 10 mm thickness extrusions was developed by T…

The design, construction and use of a purpose-built friction stir welding machine for the welding of 15.9 mm (0.625 in) thickness, 1.88 m (74 in) long aluminium alloy 6061-T6 plate and extruded sections to form the side panels of a laser system is d…

A softening model was constructed for friction stir welding (FSW) of 2xxx series aluminium alloys and was combined with previously derived thermal cycle modelling work. A thermal model of energy input and heat conduction was used to calculate therma…

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…

A feasibility study is presented for the joining of mild steel plates (0.2%C, 0.11%Si, 0.63%Mn) of 12 mm in thickness by friction stir welding (FSW). Process optimisation using a combination of operating parameters and tool geometries is discussed, …

A thermomechanical finite element model of the friction stir welding process, which considered temperature distributions in the workpiece and tool loadings, was developed and validated by comparing the model simulations with experimental data for th…

A discussion is presented on the industrial use of the friction stir welding (FSW) process looking at cost issues and technological developments. The cost implications of introducing FSW into production areas and the calculation of returns on invest…

The feasibility of friction stir welding steels was investigated using mild (low-carbon) steel plate (AISI-1010) of 6.4 mm (0.25 in) thickness. Temperature distributions were predicted using a simple thermal model. Tool wear was assessed by determin…

Microstructural evolution in friction stir welded commercially pure aluminium 1100-O plate was investigated. Plate of thickness 6.35 mm (0.25 in) was welded using rotational speeds of 700 and 1200 rpm, and welding speeds of 180 and 580 mm/min. The m…

Dissimilar lap joints were fabricated between 6022 aluminium alloy and SPCC low carbon steel using friction stir welding (FSW) and the effect of probe tip position on microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. FSW was performed at a …

Based on lessons learned from the MegaStir research programme devoted to friction stir welding (FSW) of high temperature alloys and with the aim of producing high quality, defect free welded joints while maximising tool life, a report is presented i…

Neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction techniques were employed to determine the effect of global mechanical tensioning on residual stress in friction stir welded joints fabricated in AA 2199-T8 (Al, 2.63%Cu, 1.56%Li) and AA 7449-W51 (Al, 7.5-8.7…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments on aluminium alloys were conducted using transparent PVC material to visualise dynamic material flow by direct observation, and the characteristics of two types of vortex were investigated. A single block of P…

A methodology is presented to define conical tool geometry and process parameters for friction stir welding (FSW) of thin plates. A calculation algorithm integrating a basic thermal model, tool geometry and process kinematics is proposed, the proces…

A friction stir welding (FSW) procedure, incorporating the use of different tool pins in combination with concave or scroll type shoulders, was employed to join various aluminium alloys; material flow was investigated with the aid of computer micro-…

With regard to the development of the stationary shoulder friction stir welding (FSW) technique as a long term loading joining process offering enhanced weld seam mechanical properties, an investigation is presented into coordinated material flow be…

Modelling tools were developed to describe the relationships between process parameters, microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the weld in friction stir welding (FSW). Experiments were conducted using aluminium alloy 6056. Initial t…

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods were used to model the metal flow in the friction stir welding (FSW) process in order to optimise the pin profile to minimise the traversing force; welding experiments were carried out to validate the findi…