TWI

Curved overlap joints of a 7B04 aluminium alloy were fabricated using the "RoboStir" robotic friction stir welding system and their microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated. The experimental set-up incorporated an ABB IRB7600 robot…

Synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements were used to obtain residual stress state data for welded joints made by friction stir welding (FSW) in AA-5083-H321 aluminium alloys as a function of process parameters (rotational speed and feed rate). Bu…

To study the feasibility of SFW (spot stir friction welding) with adhesive, a process that is also called spot friction weld-bonding, aluminium 6111-T4 coupons (25x100 mm, thickness 0.9 and 1.0 mm) were used to produce SFW specimens in a lap shear c…

A simplified finite element modelling approach was employed to analyse the effect of localised dynamic cooling on residual stress development during friction stir welding (FSW), and the model predictions were compared with x-ray synchrotron and neut…

The ScanStir framework, comprising an experimental friction stir welding (FSW) set-up, numerical models based on open source finite element method software packages, and a high performance computer, was used to simulate the residual stress profile i…

An investigation incorporating experimental measurements and thermomechanical simulations was undertaken to examine the effects of underwater friction stir welding (FSW) on an AISI 321 stainless steel sheet (thickness 3 mm) and to analyse the mechan…

With regard to heavy vehicle component applications, friction stir welding (FSW) and refill friction stir spot welding were employed to fabricate 5083 aluminium multisheet packs for superplastic forming (SPF) into 3D structural or integrally stiffen…

Similar and dissimilar T-joints were made by friction stir welding (FSW) of 3 mm thickness 2024-T3 cover sheet combined with 2.5 mm thick stiffeners consisting of either 2024-T3 or 2098-T8 (stringer) material. During welding the pin penetrated the s…

The Skew-Stir™ variant of friction stir welding (FSW), in which the axis of the tool is at an angle to that of the machine spindle, is described. The technique provides an improved path for metal to flow around the tool during welding, resulti…

The stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW) process was employed to fabricate defect-free joints in a variety of aluminium alloys and experiments were undertaken to investigate the microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints. Th…

Some numerical and experimental results are presented to illustrate the ability of the SignaStir laser ultrasonic testing system to monitor the occurrence of voids, cavities and lack of root penetration defects during friction stir welding (FSW). A …

Friction stir spot welding (FSSW) experiments were conducted between AA 5052 aluminium alloy and an SP-270C low carbon steel under various process conditions (tool rotation speed 1000-5000 rpm, plunge depth 0.1-0.7 mm), and the microstructure and me…

With regard to the development of additive friction stir deposition (or MELD) as an additive manufacturing process, a mesh-free coupled thermomechanical approach was employed to model MELD by invoking smoothed particle hydrodynamics to discretise th…