TWI Digital Library

Friction stir welding developments, equipment, and applications for the joining of aluminium alloys, particularly for automotive applications, are reviewed. Body in white automotive applications include aluminium alloy tailor welded blanks and the m…

A refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW) process with a short welding cycle time was employed to fabricate welded joints in thin gauge AA 6111-T4 aluminium alloy sheets (thickness 0.9 mm) and the mechanical properties of the joints were investiga…

An investigation is presented into tool material development of large polycrystalline cubic BN blanks to facilitate friction stir welding of thick section steel specimens (thickness 9.5 or 20 mm). Tool materials were produced from 90% polycrystallin…

The deformation behaviour and microstructural evolution of friction stir processed Zn, 22%Al rolled sheet (thickness 3 mm) were compared with those of the corresponding superplastic alloy. Friction stir processing was performed at a rotational speed…

Stress corrosion cracking in friction stir welded aluminium alloy joints was investigated using two alternative techniques. Aluminium alloy 7050-T7541 (Al, 5.7-6.7%Zn, 2.0-2.6%Cu, 1.9-2.6%Mg, 0.15%Fe, 0.12%Si) plate of 6.35 mm (0.25 in) thickness wa…

6061-T6 aluminium alloy (Al, 0.96%Mg, 0.59%Si) sheets (thickness 1 mm) were joined by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) under low rotational speed conditions and the microstructure and mechanical properties of the welded joints were investigated. FS…

Dissimilar welded joints between AW 6061-T6 aluminium alloy (Al, 0.93%Mg, 0.59%Si, 0.5%Fe) and AZ31B-H24 magnesium alloy (Mg, 2.55%Al, 0.79%Zn) were fabricated by friction stir welding and the influence of process parameters on their microstructure …

An investigation is presented into the effect of a paint bake cycle on the performance of friction stir spot welded (FSSW) joints fabricated in heat-treatable 6111-T4 aluminium alloy automotive sheets (thickness 0.93 mm) using a pinless tool and sho…

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…

An apparatus was developed to analyse the contact condition between the rotating tool and the workpiece during friction stir welding, and empirical tests were performed to determine the friction conditions (static, dynamic and the transition from on…

An experimental study was carried out to characterise the types of defect which may occur in friction stir welding (FSW) when operating outside the standard processing window and to determine the causes of these defects. Friction stir welds were mad…

The Welding of Airframes by Friction Stir (WAFS) project was implemented to increase the adoption of friction stir welding (FSW) for welding airframes in the aerospace industry. The partners in WAFS include all the main airframe manufacturers in Eur…

This paper describes the goals and initial progress of the research project titled "qualification of micro friction stir spot welding for cell-internal contacting of large-format battery cells in a battery production environment (μKoBatt)", which…

An ultrasound assisted friction stir welding (UA-FSW) technique was employed to fabricate butt joints in similar Al/Al and dissimilar Al/Mg sheets, and the influence of ultrasonic oscillations on weld zone microstructure and mechanical properties wa…

A friction stir welding technology was developed to facilitate welding extruded profiles together as a whole side wall in an aluminium railway wagon for coal transportation. The material employed was an AA 6061-T6 alloy plate (thickness 7 mm). Some …

The use of friction stir welding in aircraft manufacture, particularly the Airbus, both as an alternative to riveting and for the production of tailored blanks, is discussed. Potential benefits include cost and weight reduction. The European aircraf…

Friction stir welding (FSW) has been widely used in the automotive, aerospace, and high-tech industries due to its superior mechanical properties after welding. However, when it becomes matter to perform a high-quality joint using FSW, it is necessa…

Friction stir welding (FSW) was employed to fabricate a single overlap joint between sheet specimens (thickness 1.5 mm) of an AA 6181-T4 aluminium alloy and ZStE-340 high-strength steel, and weld phase composition, microstructure and mechanical prop…

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)…

In order to study the relationship between material flow and the development of highly variant process forces during friction stir welding (FSW), a high sampling rate triaxial force measurement device and a high speed camera were employed to monitor…