TWI Digital Library

The detection principles of 3D forces during bobbin tool friction stir welding (BT-FSW) were considered and the filtered data of axial force, tool torque and horizontal force were analysed to develop models to describe the relationships between torq…

A Taguchi design of experiments approach was employed to investigate the effect of varying process parameters (rotational speed, welding time and plunge depth) on process data for refill friction stir spot welding of AA 6082-T6 aluminium alloys. The…

Two initiatives are presented to develop friction stir welding (FSW) and friction stir spot welding (FSSW) design data for the aerospace industry: a path independence initiative for FSW butt joints and qualification of FSSW welds for lap joints as i…

8th International Symposium, 18-20 May 2010, Session 5A: Industrial Applications 1, Paper 03

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 (…

Preliminary results from a 3-dimensional heat and material flow computer simulation program for friction stir welding are given and compared with experimental observations. The simulation is based upon solutions of Navier-Stokes equations and nonlin…

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…

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 …

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 …

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…

The mechanical properties of the parent metals and friction stir welded joints in aluminium alloy 6 mm plate 2014A, 7075 and 5083 are summarised. CTOD and J fracture toughness results are reported for the parent metal and up to five different region…

Friction stir welded joints in 2024-T351 Al-Cu-Mg alloy were subjected to fatigue testing to evaluate the suitability of this welding process for aircraft manufacture. Aluminium alloy (Al, 3.8-4.9%Cu, 1.2-1.8%Cu, 0.5%Si, 0.5%Fe, 0.2%Zr) of 6.35 mm (…

The non-destructive testing (NDT) aspects of the Qualistir project for the on-line quality control of friction stir welding in aluminium are described. Definitions are given for the following defects: voids, wormholes, lack of penetration, faying su…

The development of three-dimensional column-type friction stir welding (FSW) equipment for robotic FSW of joints with complex shapes is described. The process requires a large force and precision control for tool penetration. The specification of th…

The influence of pores and residual stresses on fatigue crack propagation was studied for friction stir welded joints in aluminium alloys 2024-T3 and 6013-T6 of thickness 4 mm. Good welds and pore-containing welds were produced using tools with and …

An investigation is presented into the fatigue characteristics of friction stir welded (FSW) lap joints made from artificially aged Al alloy 6082 (Al, 0.6-1.2%Mg, 0.7-1.3%Si) using a tool based on the "Triflute" concept with either convex or concave…

A 16-run screening design of experiments (DOE) was conducted to analyse the effects of nine factors during friction stir welding on process forces, temperatures and shoulder depth. The factors were spindle speed, feed rate, plunge depth, pin length,…

Friction stir welding was conducted on Al alloy 6005A-T6 plates of 6 mm thickness. The power input was determined from torque measurements. The effects of advancing speed and rotation speed on total power input were examined. Thermal cycles were mea…

An experimental study was carried out to evaluate the acoustic emission (AE) method as a means of monitoring the welding state and identifying weld defects during the friction stir welding (FSW) process. FSW was carried out on 6061 aluminium alloy p…