TWI

An experimental study was carried out to characterise the types of defect which may occur in friction stir welding (FSW) when operating outside the standard processing window and to determine the causes of these defects. Friction stir welds were mad…

Results are presented from tests carried out to determine the mechanical and corrosion properties of friction stir welds in sheets of thickness 4 mm of two aerospace aluminium alloys AA-6056 and AA-6013. The specimens included alloys in the T6 condi…

The Welding of Airframes by Friction Stir (WAFS) project was implemented to increase the adoption of friction stir welding (FSW) for welding airframes in the aerospace industry. The partners in WAFS include all the main airframe manufacturers in Eur…

5A06 aluminium alloy (Al, 6.8%Mg, 0.5%Mn) sheets (thickness 5.17 mm) were joined by friction stir welding (FSW) and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Welding was performed using a tool pin with a sc…

Dissimilar butt joints between die-cast ADC12 aluminium alloy (Al, 11.53%Si, 2.02%Cu) and S45C carbon steel (0.46%C, 0.64%Mn, 0.12%Cu) were fabricated by friction stir welding and their static strength and fatigue properties were investigated. Weldi…

Sleeve plunge friction spot welding was employed to join AA5042 aluminium alloys under various process conditions and the microstructure and the mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. Welding was performed using a three-piece …

The friction stir weldability of the dissimilar materials copper and aluminium alloy was studied, assessing the effects of different process parameters (rotation and traverse speeds, rotation direction (Cu or Al on advancing side), displacement and …

A friction stir welding (FSW) procedure using a W-Re alloy tool, magnetic welding fixture and a high-speed steel backing bar was developed for application to precipitation-hardened martensitic stainless steel (13.7%Cr, 7.1%Ni) thin sheet (thickness …

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were undertaken on type 304 austenitic stainless steel (18-20%Cr, 8-10.5%Ni) under various process conditions by changing the heat input, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of joints obtained at …

A methodology incorporating friction stir processing (for plasticising) and friction stir welding (for joining components) was developed to fabricate T-shaped copper conductor rails. Experiments were undertaken on copper plate specimens (thickness 8…

A refill friction stir spot welding technique was employed to fabricate joints in AA 2014 aluminium alloy (Al, 3.51%Cu, 0.7%Mn) sheets (thickness 2 mm) and the effect of tool rotational speed on microstructure and mechanical properties was investiga…

AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets (thickness 3 mm) were joined by TIG welding and the effect of two run rapid cooling friction stir processing (RC-FSP) on welded joint microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. TIG welding was undertaken a…

The effect of process parameters during the plunge stage of friction stir welding were examined as part of the development of industrialised friction stir welding equipment. The effects of the tool plunging speed and the rotational speed on the maxi…

An abrasion circle friction stir spot welding (ABC-FSSW) technique was employed to fabricate dissimilar metal joints between aluminium and steel automotive sheets, and the microstructure, mechanical properties and weld formation mechanisms of the jo…

With regard to inconsistencies in the literature concerning the correlation between friction stir welding (FSW) process inputs and post weld process or material response, an investigation is presented into the primary variables (temperature, cooling…

A friction stir processing (FSP) technique was employed to fabricate D2 steel hunting knife blades with long-life cutting edge retention, and blade integrity tests were undertaken. The FSP tool design was a convex scroll shoulder step spiral and the…

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a relatively new technique which utilizes frictional heating combined with a forging pressure to produce virtually defect-free high strength bonds. Although considerable experimental work has been reported in the liter…

Friction stir lap diffusion welding was employed to fabricate dissimilar AA 6060 aluminium alloy/mild steel joints and mechanical testing and metallurgical examination of the weldments were undertaken to investigate the effect of microstructure form…

Similar overlap and dissimilar butt joints were fabricated by friction stir spot joining of AA 6061-T6 (Al, 1-1.1%Mg, 0.66-0.67%Si) and AA 5052-H34 (Al, 2.58%Mg) sheets of thickness 1 and 2 mm, respectively, and microstructural analysis was used to …

An finite element method (FEM) model, considering variables such as tensioning level, heat input and sheet geometry but ignoring mechanical tool effects, was developed to investigate the efficacy of the mechanical tensioning technique for controllin…