TWI Digital Library

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…

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…

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 …

Friction stir butt welds of Al alloy (2024, 6013 and 6056) sheets (4 mm thickness) were examined by conventional ultrasonic inspection with a single focused transducer (25 MHz frequency), facilitating the detection of void-like flaws as well as the …

A description is presented of the friction stir welding (FSW) machine developed for fabrication of the external fuel tanks for the Space Shuttle. The cylindrical part of the tanks was composed of curved panels welded into barrels with welds of const…

Friction stir welds were made in the austenitic stainless steels 304L (thickness 6.4 mm (0.25 in) and 3.2 mm (0.125 in)) and the superaustenitic stainless steel AL 6XN. Welds in the 3.2 mm sheet were made in a single pass. The 6.4 mm plates were wel…

The production of aluminium alloy forged suspension parts for light-weight vehicles using circumferential friction stir welding (FSW) is considered. The suspension arm is composed of three extruded shapes (bush bracket, yoke and pipe) joined by FSW.…

The microstructure and mechanical properties of double-sided welds made by friction stir welding (FSW) in aluminium alloy AA-5083 were investigated as part of research into the use of the alloy in vessels for storing liquid hydrogen at cryogenic tem…

The relationship between microstructure and corrosion of friction stir welded joints in aluminium alloys 2024-T351 (Al, 4.43%Cu, 1.42%Mg, 0.61%Mn) and 7010-T7651 (Al, 5.92%Zn, 2.11%Mg, 1.68%Cu) was investigated. Plate of 6.35 mm (0.25 in) thickness …

Friction stir welded and TIG welded butt joints in aluminium alloy 6061 matrix B4C-reinforced (15-30% B4C) composites were compared. TIG welds were produced using a combination of aluminium alloys 4043 and 4047 as filler metal with pure Ar or a mixe…

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…

Following an overview of friction stir spot welding (FSSW) for potential automotive applications (including robotic FSSW in poke welding and C-frame configurations, and pedestal FSSW machines for manual, automatic or robotic use), a FSSW process dev…

Variations in microstructure in friction stir welds in AA 7449 (Al, 2.2%Mg, 8.2%Zn, 1.7%Cu, 0.12%Si, 0.15%Fe, 0.2%Mn, 0.05%Cr, 0.25 T plus Zr) in the initially overaged (T7) condition were studied. Isothermal heat treatments were conducted at 350 an…

This paper describes the joining criterion for lap joining of dissimilar metal materials of aluminum and stainless steel by friction stir. A criterion for evaluating the joined state or non-joined state is proposed, which is led by the concept based…

Experimental measurements and thermal modelling were used to determine the transient heat loss into friction stir welding tools and so calculate the welding efficiency. Energy inputs were determined from force and torque measurements made whilst per…

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…

3-point fatigue bending tests and finite element method simulations were employed to study the fatigue performance of combined lap-butt joints fabricated by friction stir welding in 6005A-T6 alloy (Al, 0.61%Si, 0.54%Mg) extruded profiles for railway…

Dissimilar overlap joints between different aluminium alloys were fabricated by friction stir welding (FSW) and the influence of alloy composition and FSW tool type on fatigue fracture, microstructure and mechanical properties was investigated. The …

Several kinds of Co-based alloys with different mechanical properties (e.g. high temperature strength, hardness, wear resistance and gamma-solvus temperature) were designed for friction stir welding (FSW) tool applications by varying chemical compos…