TWI

An investigation is presented into the influence of friction stir welding (FSW) process parameters (tool rotation speed and feed rate) on the mechanical properties and microstructure of welded joints of AA2095 (Al, 4.6%Cu, 1.14%Li) in as-welded and …

Microstructural observations and mechanical tests were undertaken to investigate the phase transformation behaviour of low alloy Cr-Mo steel (0.2%C, 0.61%Mn, 1.07%Cr, 0.16%Mo) sheets (thickness 1.6 mm) during friction stir welding. Stir-in-plate typ…

Bead-on-plate welds were fabricated in S31254 superaustenitic stainless steel (19.82%Cr, 17.78%Ni, 6.13%Mo) plates (thickness 6 mm) using friction stir welding (FSW) and their microstructure and texture evolution were studied by high resolution elec…

Nondestructive testing of friction stir welds is discussed. The ultrasonic testing of friction stir welded joints, advantages of phased array testing and test applications are presented briefly. The eddy current array testing technique is illustrate…

Low temperature post weld ageing heat treatment, with and without deep cryogenic pretreatment, was applied to friction stir welded joints of 2024-T351 (Al, 4.3%Cu, 1.6%Mg, 0.7%Mn) alloys, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joint…

With regard to the production of wear resistant friction stir welding (FSW) tools by laser implantation of ceramic particles, an investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of laser implantation on tool surface hardness, abrasive wear and lif…

A stop-action technique was used to stop tool motion during friction stir welding of aluminium alloys in order to study the interactions between the parent material and welding tool pin in the keyhole. Welds were made in 25 mm thick Al-Cu-Li 2195 pl…

Experimental methods were developed to track material flow and mixing during the friction stir welding (FSW) process. Experiments were conducted with butt joints of 6.35 mm (0.25 in) thickness 7050-T7451 aluminium alloy plates. The FSW tool was H13 …

Alternative friction stir welding tool shoulder materials to improve welding speed and quality were evaluated. The materials, which were compared with tool steel using a tool designed for exchangeable shoulder inserts, were: nitrided tool steel, Inc…

Simultaneous double-sided friction stir welding (DFSW) experiments were undertaken on AMX 602 alloys (Mg, 6%Al, 0.5%Mn, 2%Ca) and the influence of diverse material flows caused by differing process parameters (rotation direction and travel speed) an…

The influence of pin length and insulating anvil material on friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of thin (0.9 mm) 6111-T4 aluminium (Al, 0.73%Si, 0.65%Mg, 0.96%Cu, 0.3%Mn, 0.2%Fe) was investigated. Welds were made varying the length of the tool pin (1…

Following a description of the swept FSW spot welding process, experimental work on welding conditions is presented. A design of experiments (DOE) approach was employed to examine the effect of process parameters on unguided lap shear tensile streng…

With regard to the occurrence of coarse alpha-Al dendrites, eutectic phase, shrinkage porosity and other defects in cast aluminium alloys, an investigation was undertaken into the influence of different combinations of friction stir processing (FSP)…

The effects of pre and post weld heat treatments on the strength, fracture toughness and fatigue crack propagation of welds made by friction stir welding (FSW) in aluminium alloy 6013-T6 sheet material, which may replace the 2024-T3 skin alloy for f…

Electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) was employed to examine the grain refinement during rapid cooling friction stir welding of commercially pure copper sheets (thickness 2 mm) and the application of a liquid CO2 cooling technique to reduce th…

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were undertaken on AA 6061-T6 aluminium alloys to investigate the effects of liquid cooling of tooling on spindle speed, spindle torque, spindle power, forge force, and the amount of material plastically defor…

The effect of welding conditions (tool rotational speed and tool holding time) on static strength was studied for dissimilar friction stir spot welds between 2017-T6 (Al, 3.5-4.5%Cu, 0.8-1.5%Mg) and 5052 (Al, 2.2-2.8%Mg) aluminium alloy sheets (thic…

The tool wear, performance life and optimal parameters for the friction stir welding (FSW) of mild and stainless steels were investigated. Bead-on-plate welds were made in AISI 304L stainless steel (6 mm thickness) and A36 cold-rolled mild steel (6 …

Friction stir welding experiments were conducted on AA 2024-T3 Al-Cu-Mg alloys to investigate the influence of backplate design on joint microstructure and mechanical properties. Trials were performed using three specially designed backplates based …

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…