TWI

A production-capable friction stir welding (FSW) process was developed for butt welds (penetration 25.4 mm) in 6061-T6 aluminium alloys, designed specifically for robotic welding of large box assemblies requiring many multi-dimensional weld paths, a…

With regard to the use of friction pull plug welding to close out the termination hole associated with pin tool retraction during friction stir welding of circumferential welds in pressurised cryogenic propellant tanks, an investigation is presented…

An investigation was undertaken to examine the use of an industrial serial robot incorporating dual loop force/position control to reduce the investment cost and increase process flexibility in friction stir welding (FSW) by compensating the lateral…

To overcome the limitations associated with conventional friction stir welding, particularly for complex shaped large structures, the bobbin tool technique was developed and demonstrated on various aluminium alloys (4-15 mm thickness range), the tec…

A spot FSW robot system was developed and used to weld lap joints in aluminium alloys (used mainly in car body assembly) and the static strength of the welded joints was compared with resistance spot welded joints. A prototype spot FSW gun was combi…

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…

With regard to the application of AA 2219 aluminium alloys to space launch vehicle propellant storage tanks, an investigation is presented into the influence of process parameters (tool rotational speed, shoulder downward force and weld transverse s…

The effects of multiple overlapping friction stir weld runs (with 100% overlap) on the welding parameters and weld properties during the repair of high-strength AlCuMgZn alloy were investigated. Square butt welds were made in 7050-T7451 alloy (Al, 6…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was carried out on A-6N01-T5 aluminium alloy of thickness 15 mm in various restraint conditions, and the amount of deformation before and after welding was investigated. Vertical distortion and lateral shrinkage of the we…

The floating bobbin friction stir welding (FSW) technique was employed to develop high performance aluminium floor slabs for road bridges and experiments were undertaken to investigate the influence of heat input on fracture location. Butt joints we…

A new "stop action" technique was used to investigate material flow during the friction stir welding of aluminium alloy 6061-T6 plate of thickness 6.4 mm (0.25 in). The technique involved stopping the welding process and examining the microstructure…

An investigation was made of approaches to tool design for the self reacting pin tool (SRPT) (bobbin tool) to mitigate the effects of friction stir welding owing to enlarged grains that occur in large structural extrusions, in order to yield accepta…

A review is presented of FSW (friction stir welding) tool design parameters and their relationship with heat generation, material flow and weld quality, including discussions of interaction mechanisms between tool and specimen, typical tool designs,…