TWI

Friction stir welding (FSW) experiments were undertaken on AA 5083 aluminium alloys to investigate the influence of process parameters (rotational and travel speeds) and preheating temperature on abnormal grain growth after PWHT. The experimental sp…

Shipbuilding applications of friction stir welding in the production of prefabricated aluminium alloy sections are described. Panels of up to 13 x 16 m, thickness 3-7 mm, may be produced with close tolerances and good surface finish, reducing cost a…

WC, 12%Co cemented carbide layers were deposited onto M2 tool steel (0.8-0.88%C, 3.8-4.5%Cr, 4.7-5.2%Mo, 5.9-6.7%W, 1.7-2.1%V) substrates by HVOF spraying and the effect of subsequent friction stir processing (FSP) on bonding strength and cermet coa…

With regard to the development of ausformed H13 tool steel for high strength friction stir welding (FSW) tools, an investigation was undertaken to explore methods to improve equal channel angle extrusion (ECAE) as the deformation step. Studies invol…

A moving gantry five axis CNC friction stir welding (FSW) machine was developed to facilitate the production of complex curved fuselage components (e.g. stringer and frame) based on third generation 2A97 Al-Li alloys. A ribbed curved component incor…

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…

Friction stir welding experiments were undertaken on Al-Li alloys for application to C919 passenger aircraft fuselage panels, and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded lap joints were investigated. The materials comprised 2060-T…

A direct modelling approach ("SAMCEF" software finite element simulation) coupled with an inverse model, based on genetic algorithm optimisation (MAX software), was applied to the friction stir welding (FSW) process for two aluminium alloys (6005A-T…

A project to introduce friction stir welding for aluminium shipbuilding in Taiwan is described. The advantages of FSW compared with arc welding for this application are summarised. Stages of the project are outlined, covering work with local tool fa…

With regard to the application of friction stir welding (FSW) for the butt weld joining of aluminium alloy extrusions into large panels for ship decks and railway carriages, an investigation is presented into the employment of laser ultrasonic testi…

Friction stir welds were made in 4 mm thick sheets of aluminium alloys 2024-T3 and 6013-T6. The stress intensity factor due to residual stresses was determined using the cut compliance method. The residual stress distribution was calculated using th…

To understand the influence of dwell time in friction stir welding (FSW) and thus to optimise its value, spot welds were produced between superposed sheets of 6008 aluminium alloy and industrial steel (thickness 2.5 and 2 mm, respectively), and thei…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was employed to fabricate butt joints in AW 5083 (Al, 4-4.9%Mg, 0.4-1%Mn) aluminium alloy plates (thickness 10 mm) and the influence of process parameters and tool geometry on the character and quality of welded joints wa…

An investigation is presented into the influence of tool flats, tool runout magnitude and relative tool runout orientation on the high speed forces acting transversely and longitudinally on the friction stir welding tool. Partial penetration bead-on…

Friction stir processing (FSP) was employed to fabricate oxide dispersion strengthened copper-based composite plates with a graded microstructure and evolving mechanical, thermal, electrical and wear properties along their thickness. Specimens compr…

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…

A geometric feature, termed the "Wiper", was developed to improve the weld track surface finish produced by friction stir welding (FSW) and processing tools with scrolled shoulders, and experiments were undertaken to investigate the influence of "Wi…

An experimental investigation was undertaken to study the effects of different pin profiles (threaded conical, square, pentagon and hexagon) and the same process parameters on temperature distribution around the tool and resulting microstructure dur…

An experimental investigation was undertaken to study the effects of different pin profiles (threaded conical, square, pentagon and hexagon) and the same process parameters on temperature distribution around the tool and resulting microstructure dur…

A friction stir spot welding (FSSW) process was employed to fabricate dissimilar joints between an AA 5754 aluminium alloy and an AZ31 magnesium alloy in a lap joint configuration using a Zn layer at the interface to suppress intermetallic formation…