TWI Digital Library

A friction stir channelling process to promote a distinct material flow was developed, in which a controlled amount of viscoplasticised material from the metal workpiece flows out from the processed zone producing an internal channel without any gap…

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…

An arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation was developed to simulate the plunge, dwell and welding stages of the friction stir welding process using "FORGE3" finite element software, and the friction coefficients from a viscoplastic law were…

Microstructure observations and bending tests were employed to investigate the basal plane texture and room temperature formability of AZ31 magnesium alloy rolled and extruded sheets (thickness 3 mm) treated by friction stir processing (FSP). Overla…

A description is presented of a 5-axis gantry machine for friction stir welding (FSW) of full-size aluminium structures for applications ranging from armoured vehicle chassis and other military vehicles to more delicate 3D aircraft structures. The g…

A study was conducted to assess friction stir spot welding (FSSW), to identify and investigate the effects of the principal FSSW parameters and to investigate the effectiveness of common friction stir welding (FSW) tool designs when used for FSSW. A…

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the effect of friction stir processing (FSP) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of fusion welded aluminium alloys. MIG welds in plates of thickness 6 mm of 5083-H321 aluminium alloy (…

Thermocouples were mounted in a friction stir welding (FSW) tool to measure its temperature during the FSW of aluminium alloy 6061-T6 (Al, 1.0%Mg, 0.61%Si, 0.27%Cu, 0.10%Mn) sheet of 3 mm thickness. Type K thermocouples were mounted at various dista…

Friction stir welds in S355 carbon manganese steel plate of 12 mm thickness were characterised by microstructural studies and measurements of mechanical properties. A tungsten-rhenium alloy tool with a pin length of 7.5 mm was used, running at 400 r…

The viability of robotic friction stir welding (FSW) has been enhanced by the development of robots with payloads up to 500 kg, with enhanced arm stiffness and improved force control capability. A robot welding system is described which has features…

4th International Symposium, 14-16 May 2003, Session 5A: Aerospace 2, Paper 01

Details are reported of application of friction stir welding (FSW) to manufacture of double skin bodies of railway carriages for commuter lines in Japan. A "defect free" FSW process is used to weld double skin panels of length 25 m using hollow extr…

3rd International Symposium, 27-28 Sep 2001, Poster Session, Paper 13

Development work by TWI on behalf of the Swedish Nuclear Fuel & Waste Management Co. for the EB and friction stir welding of lids onto Cu radioactive waste disposal canisters (1050 mm diameter, 50 mm wall thickness) is reviewed. In 1986, when th…

Friction stir welding was evaluated as a cheaper alternative to the use of fasteners for the joining of lap joints of the aluminium alloy 7075-T351 motor thrust frame of the Ariane 5 rocket. In initial trials to optimise the tool design for lap join…

The use of phased array ultrasonics for the detection of small defects in welds is described, and illustrated using a series of examples of friction stir welded aluminium alloy plate. Phased arrays use an array of ultrasonic elements pulsed with dif…

Friction stir processing (FSP) experiments were undertaken on annealed AISI 420 stainless steel plates (thickness 6 mm) in order to compare three methods for assessing tool wear. The investigations incorporated two tool compositions (WC-Co or polycr…

In relation to the potential of force control friction stir welding (FSW) to produce higher quality weldments, an investigation is presented into the integration of closed-loop force control onto milling machines using popular CNC control systems, f…

An investigation was undertaken to examine the effect of adding aluminium to magnesium on the strength of dissimilar joints between steel and magnesium fabricated by friction stir welding. The materials studied were pure 3N magnesium, AZ31 (Mg, 2.9%…

With regard to the requirement to produce friction stir welded (FSW) lap joints with strength and fatigue properties suitable for commercial regional aircraft, work undertaken by MTS Systems and Bombardier Aerospace to develop pin tools and corrosio…