TWI

Ni3Al/Ni3V dual two-phase intermetallic alloys, incorporating Ta and Re additions, with enhanced high-temperature strength and hardness, were developed for friction stir welding tool applications and applied to fabricate butt welds in SUS 430 steel …

Flame resistant AZX 612 (Mg, 6%Al, 1%Zn, 2%Ca) magnesium alloy joints were fabricated by asymmetric double sided friction stir welding (FSW) and the influence of tool rotational speed on their microstructure and mechanical properties was investigate…

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…

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…

The development of friction stir welding (FSW) technology for the Ariane 5 ME heavy launch vehicle project is illustrated with respect to the superior material properties of FSW within the parameter development and the manufacturing of circumferenti…

With regard to the need for in-process subsurface defect monitoring during friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium alloys, an investigation is presented into a real-time force measurement system of process output to sense defect formation. Issues d…

An experimental investigation was made on the effect of processing variables and tool material on the microstructure of friction stir welded (FSW) 6 mm thick HSLA-65 steel plate, with the aim of optimising the process variables for enhanced mechanic…

An algorithm and procedure for controlling process zone temperature during friction stir processing are presented. The approach is based on the correlation between weld zone temperature with spindle power. A simplified thermal balance model of the w…

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…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were conducted on X52 and X60 pipeline steel specimens (outer diameter 324 mm, wall thickness 6.35 mm) and weldment integrity was evaluated by metallography, NDE and mechanical properties characterisation. Wel…

Two common approaches to describe kinematics in simulations of the friction stir welding (FSW) process, the Lagrangian representation and the Eulerian representation, were compared using "ABAQUS/Explicit" and "FLUENT" software programs, and the infl…

The details and methodology of an automatic path planning system for friction stir processing (FSP) of castings are presented, incorporating the means by which operator input is minimised, the limitations and challenges of the automatic programming …

Thermodynamic modelling and experimental measurements were employed to investigate the influence of intermetallic compound formation on the shear strength of dissimilar joints between an aluminium alloy and ultra-high strength steel fabricated by fr…

The effects of friction stir welding (FSW) on the microstructure, hardness, residual stress state and grain distribution of 2124 Al-SiC composite alloy were investigated. The composite was of AMC225xe aerospace AW2124 alloy reinforced with 25% SiC p…

A description is presented of the development of an aircraft adapter pallet system for the rapid deployment of supplies and equipment for use by the US Army. The pallets consisted of seven lightweight AA-6005A aluminium alloy (Al, 0.4-0.7%Mg, 0.5-0.…

The feasibility of friction stir welding TIMETAL 21S beta titanium in the annealed condition was investigated. The composition of the alloy is Ti, 14-16%Mo, 2.4-3.2%Nb, 2.5-3.5%Al, 0.15-0.25%Si, max.0.4%Fe, 0.11-0.17%O, max.0.05%C, max.0.05%N, max.0…

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…

Friction stir spot welded joints in aluminium alloy 6061-T4 were studied. Sheet of 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 mm thickness was friction stir welded to sheet of 3 mm thickness, using welds of 8-18 mm in length (equivalent in area to circular resistance spot we…

A techno-economic assessment study was undertaken with respect to the feasibility of the friction stir welding (FSW) technique for microalloyed DH36 grade shipbuilding steel (0.11%C, 1.48%Mn, 0.02%Nb, 0.02%Al) plates (thickness 6 mm). Single sided f…

A coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian approach with Abaqus v.6.14 finite element software was employed to model the whole friction stir welding (FSW) process within one continuous model and results for temperature fields, surfaces, weld formation and proces…