TWI Digital Library

The weldability of magnesium alloys by friction stir welding was studied using three die-cast alloys of thickness 6 mm (AM50 and AM60 Mg-Al-Mn alloys; AZ91 Mg-Al-Zn alloy) and one wrought alloy of thickness 6.4 mm (AZ231 Mg-Al-Zn alloy). Surface app…

Finite element models of the friction stir welding of aluminium alloys are reviewed and the results compared with experimental measurements. Contact between the pin and the workpiece is considered in two ways: frictional contact; or assuming the mat…

Experiments were conducted to compare heat input and weld hardness in friction stir welding (FSW) and MIG welding of aluminium alloy. Material A-6N01-T5 (Al, 0.8%Mg, 0.6%Si) of thickness 4 mm was used. The heat inputs were measured by calorimetry. H…

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…

Fatigue crack initiation and propagation was studied in friction stir welded aluminium alloy 7010-T7651 and also in the parent alloy, using a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques. Finite element analysis was used to model the stres…

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…

Results are presented from tests carried out to determine the mechanical and corrosion properties of friction stir welds in sheets of thickness 4 mm of two aerospace aluminium alloys AA-6056 and AA-6013. The specimens included alloys in the T6 condi…

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…

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 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…

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…

This study addresses the challenges of predicting joint efficiency for friction stir welding (FSW). It adopts a data driven approach, leveraging data analytics to develop accurate predictive models. A database of 1780 records from diverse aluminium …

In this study, the improvement of process stability of bobbin tool FSW for long welding length was studied. The base material used in this study was 18mm thickness 5083-O Al alloy. Floating bobbin type tools were used in this study. FSW produced def…

Bobbin-tool friction stir welding (BT-FSW) is a variant process of conventional friction stir welding with a particular tool configuration composed of an additional lower shoulder, enabling additional heat input and complete penetration of the pin. …

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…

Orientation imaging microscopy was employed to characterise the stir zone microstructure in relation to the defect formation tendency and evaluate the peak temperature at different locations in friction stir welded Ti-6%Al-4%V specimens. Welded join…

Flame resistant AZX 612 (Mg, 6%Al, 1%Zn, 2%Ca) magnesium alloy joints were fabricated by asymmetric double sided friction stir welding (FSW) and the influence of tool rotational speed on their microstructure and mechanical properties was investigate…

Welded joints were fabricated in AZ31 magnesium alloy (Mg, 3.01%Al, 0.9%Zn, 0.5%Mn) sheets (thickness 2 mm) by bobbin tool friction stir welding (BTFSW) and the influence of process parameters (rotational and welding speeds) on their microstructure …