Friction Stir

Welding
Applications on Metals
Advisor:
Prof.Dr. Hakan GÜR
IWE.Dr. Süha TİRKEŞ

Oğuzhan MURAT
 1.Introduction

Friction-stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process (meaning the metal is not

melted during the process) and is used for applications where the original metal characteristics
must remain unchanged as far as possible. This process is primarily used on aluminum, and
most often on large pieces which cannot be easily heat treated post weld to recover temper
characteristics.

It was invented and experimentally proven by Wayne Thomas and a team of his
colleagues at The Welding Institute UK in December 1991. TWI holds a number of patents on
the process, the first being the most descriptive.[1]

2. Literature Review

In FSW, a cylindrical-shouldered tool, with a profiled threaded/unthreaded probe (nib

or pin) is rotated at a constant speed and fed at a constant traverse rate into the joint line
between two pieces of sheet or plate material, which are butted together. The parts have to be
clamped rigidly onto a backing bar in a manner that prevents the abutting joint faces from
being forced apart. The length of the nib is slightly less than the weld depth required and the
tool shoulder should be in intimate contact with the work surface. The nib is then moved
against the work, or vice versa.[2]

Frictional heat is generated between the wear-resistant welding tool shoulder and nib,

and the material of the work pieces. This heat, along with the heat generated by the
mechanical mixing process and the adiabatic heat within the material, cause the stirred
materials to soften without reaching the melting point (hence cited a solid-state process),
allowing the traversing of the tool along the weld line in a plasticised tubular shaft of metal.
As the pin is moved in the direction of welding, the leading face of the pin, assisted by a
special pin profile, forces plasticised material to the back of the pin while applying a
substantial forging force to consolidate the weld metal. The welding of the material is
facilitated by severe plastic deformation in the solid state, involving dynamic recrystallization
of the base material.[3]

The solid-state nature of the FSW process, combined with its unusual tool and
asymmetric nature, results in a highly characteristic microstructure. The microstructure can be
broken up into the following zones:

The stir zone (also nugget, dynamically recrystallised zone) is a region of heavily

deformed material that roughly corresponds to the location of the pin during welding. The
grains within the stir zone are roughly equiaxed and often an order of magnitude smaller than
the grains in the parent material. [4] A unique feature of the stir zone is the common occurrence
of several concentric rings which has been referred to as an "onion-ring" structure. The
precise origin of these rings has not been firmly established, although variations in particle
number density, grain size and texture have all been suggested.

The flow arm zone is on the upper surface of the weld and consists of material that is
dragged by the shoulder from the retreating side of the weld, around the rear of the tool, and
deposited on the advancing side.

The thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ) occurs on either side of the stir zone.

In this region the strain and temperature are lower and the effect of welding on the
microstructure is correspondingly smaller. Unlike the stir zone the microstructure is
recognizably that of the parent material, albeit significantly deformed and rotated. Although
the term TMAZ technically refers to the entire deformed region it is often used to describe
any region not already covered by the terms stir zone and flow arm.

The heat-affected zone (HAZ) is common to all welding processes. As indicated by

the name, this region is subjected to a thermal cycle but is not deformed during welding. The
temperatures are lower than those in the TMAZ but may still have a significant effect if the
microstructure is thermally unstable. In fact, in age-hardened aluminum alloys this region
commonly exhibits the poorest mechanical properties.

Advantages-Disadvantages

The solid-state nature of FSW immediately leads to several advantages over fusion
welding methods since any problems associated with cooling from the liquid phase are
immediately avoided. Issues such as porosity, solute redistribution, solidification
cracking and liquation cracking are not an issue during FSW. In general, FSW has been found
to produce a low concentration of defects and is very tolerant to variations in parameters and
materials.

Nevertheless, FSW is associated with a number of unique defects. Insufficient weld

temperatures, due to low rotational speeds or high traverse speeds, for example, mean that the
weld material is unable to accommodate the extensive deformation during welding. This may
result in long, tunnel-like defects running along the weld which may occur on the surface or
subsurface. Low temperatures may also limit the forging action of the tool and so reduce the
continuity of the bond between the material from each side of the weld. The light contact
between the material has given rise to the name "kissing-bond". This defect is particularly
worrying since it is very difficult to detect using nondestructive methods such as X-ray or
ultrasonic testing. If the pin is not long enough or the tool rises out of the plate then the
interface at the bottom of the weld may not be disrupted and forged by the tool, resulting in a
lack-of-penetration defect. This is essentially a notch in the material which can be a potent
source of fatigue cracks.

-A number of potential advantages of FSW over conventional fusion-welding processes have

been identified:[5]

-Good mechanical properties in the as welded condition

-Improved safety due to the absence of toxic fumes or the spatter of molten material.

-No consumables — A threaded pin made of conventional tool steel, e.g., hardened H13, can
weld over 1000m of aluminum, and no filler or gas shield is required for aluminum.

-Easily automated on simple milling machines — lower setup costs and less training.

-Can operate in all positions (horizontal, vertical, etc.), as there is no weld pool.

-Generally good weld appearance and minimal thickness under/over-matching, thus reducing
the need for expensive machining after welding.
-Low environmental impact.

However, some disadvantages of the process have been identified:

-Exit hole left when tool is withdrawn.

-Large down forces required with heavy-duty clamping necessary to hold the plates together.

-Less flexible than manual and arc processes (difficulties with thickness variations and non-
linear welds).

-Often slower traverse rate than some fusion welding techniques, although this may be offset
if fewer welding passes are required.

Applications in industry

The FSW process is currently patented by TWI in most industrialised countries and
licensed for over 183 users. Friction stir welding and its variants friction stir spot welding
and friction stir processing are used for the following industrial applications:

Shipbuilding and Offshore

Two Scandinavian aluminum extrusion companies were in 1996 the first, who applied
FSW commercially to the manufacture of fish freezer panels at Sapa, as well as deck panels
and helicopter landing platforms at Marine Aluminum Aanensen, which subsequently merged
with Hydro Aluminum Maritime to become Hydro Marine Aluminum. Some of these freezer
panels are now also produced by Riftec and Bayards. In 1997 two-dimensional friction stir
welds in the hydro-dynamically flared bow section of the hull of the ocean viewer vessel The
Boss were produced at Research Foundation Institute with the first portable FSW machine.
The Super Liner Ogasawara at Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding is the largest friction stir
welded ship so far. The Sea Fighter of Nichols Bros and the Freedom class Littoral Combat
Ships contain prefabricated panels by the FSW fabricators Advanced Technology and Friction
Stir Link respectively.[17]The Houbei class missile boat has friction stir welded rocket launch
containers of China Friction Stir Centre. The HMNZS Rotoiti in New Zealand has FSW
panels made by Donovans in a converted milling machine. Various companies apply FSW
to armor plating foramphibious assault ships.
Aerospace

Boeing applies FSW to the Delta II and Delta IV expendable launch vehicles, and the
first of these with a friction stir welded Interstage module has been launched in 1999. The
process is also used for the Space Shuttle external tank, for Ares I and for the Orion Crew
Vehicle test article at NASA as well as Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets at SpaceX. The toe
nails for ramp of Boeing C-17 Globemaster IIIcargo aircraft by Advanced Joining
Technologies and the cargo barrier beams for the Boeing 747 Large Cargo Freighter were the
first commercially produced aircraft parts. FAA approved wings and fuselage panels of
the Eclipse 500 aircraft were made at Eclipse Aviation, and this company delivered 259
friction stir welded business jets, before they were forced into Chapter 7 liquidation. Floor
panels for Airbus A400M military aircraft are now made by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke and
Embraer used FSW for the Legacy 450 and 500 Jets.

Automotive

Aluminum engine cradles and suspension struts for stretched Lincoln Town Car were
the first automotive parts that were friction stir at Tower Automotive, who use the process
also for the engine tunnel of the Ford GT. A spin-off of this company is called Friction Stir
Link and successfully exploits the FSW process, e.g. for the flatbed trailer "Revolution" of
Fontaine Trailers In Japan FSW is applied to suspension struts at Showa Denko and for
joining of aluminum sheets to galvanized steel brackets for the boot lid of the Mazda MX-5.
Friction stir spot welding is successfully used for the bonnet and rear doors of the Mazda RX-
8 and the boot lid of the Toyota Prius. Wheels are friction stir welded at Simmons Wheels,
UT Alloy Works and Fundo Rear seats for the Volvo V70 are friction stir welded at
Sapa, HVAC pistons at Halla Climate Control and exhaust gas recirculation coolers at
Pierburg. Tailor welded blanks are friction stir welded for the Audi R8 at Riftec. The B-
column of the Audi R8 Spider is friction stir welded from two extrusions at Hammerer
Aluminum Industries in Austria.
Railway Rolling Stock

Since 1997 roof panels were made from aluminum extrusions at Hydro Marine
Aluminum with a bespoke 25m long FSW machine, e.g. for DSB class SA-SD trains
of Alstom LHB  Curved side and roof panels for the Victoria Line trains of London
Underground, side panels for Bombardier's Electro star trains at Sapa Group and side panels
for Alstom's British Rail Class 390 Pendolino trains are made at Sapa Group Japanese
commuter and express A-trains and British Rail Class 395 trains are friction stir welded
by Hitachi while Kawasaki applies friction stir spot welding to roof panels and Sumitomo
Light Metal produces Shinkansen floor panels. Innovative FSW floor panels are made by
Hammerer Aluminum Industries in Austria for the Stadler DOSTO double decker rail cars, to
obtain an internal height of 2 m on both floors.

Heat sinks for cooling high-power electronics of locomotives are made at EBG,
Austerlitz Electronics, Euro Composite, Sapa and Rapid Technique, and are the most common
application of FSW due to the excellent heat transfer. The FSW process is also used for
GBT coolers at Sapa Group.

Fabrication

Facade panels and cathode sheets are friction stir welded at AMAG and Hammerer
Aluminum Industries including friction stir lap welds of copper to aluminum. Bizerbars meat
slicers, Ökolüfter HVAC units and Siemens X-ray vacuum vessels are friction stir welded at
Riftec. Vacuum valves and vessels are made by FSW at Japanese and Swiss companies. FSW
is also used for the encapsulation of nuclear waste at SKB in 50mm thick copper
canisters. Pressure vessels from ø1m semispherical forgings of 38.1mm thick aluminum alloy
2219 at Advanced Joining Technologies and Lawrence Livermore Nat Lab.Friction stir
processing is applied to ship propellers at Friction Stir Link and to hunting knives by
Diamond blade

Applications on steels

The earliest reference to the use of frictional heat for solid-phase welding and forming
appeared over a century ago in a United States patent. A period of fifty years then passed
before any significant advancement in friction technology took-place namely a British patent
in 1941 that introduced what is now known as friction surfacing. Yet another fifty years went
by before friction stir welding (FSW) was invented at TWI. This comparatively recent
innovation has permitted friction technology to be used to produce continuous welded seams
for plate fabrication, particularly in light alloys.

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a process for joining workpieces in the solid phase,
using an intermediate non-consumable tool

According to the invention the method comprises a FSW tool of harder material than
the workpiece material being welded. The marked difference between the elevated
temperature properties of the tool and the workpiece, together with a suitable cyclic
movement between the tool and workpiece, generates sufficient frictional heat to cause
plasticized (third-body) conditions in the workpiece material. Thus friction stir welding is a
continuous hot shear process that involves slowly plunging a portion of a specially shaped
rotating tool between and then along the abutting faces of the joint. The contacting surface of
the shoulder of the tool, and the length of the probe below the shoulder essentially allows the
probe to maintain penetration to the required through-thickness depth.

Although initially FSW was confined to relatively soft workpiece materials such as
lead, zinc, magnesium and a range of aluminum alloy materials, the feasibility of joining
copper and in this paper, low carbon chromium steel, and carbon steel has been demonstrated.
This range of harder workpiece materials has proved possible by continuing to maintain a
suitable differential between the hardness and the elevated temperature properties of the tool
compared with the workpiece materials.

Friction stir welding can be regarded as an autogenous keyhole joining technique

without the creation of liquid metal. The consolidated weld material is thus free of typical
fusion welding defects. No consumable filler material of profiled edge preparation is normally
necessary. Already FSW is a practical technique for welding aluminum-based materials,
ranging in plate thickness from 0.8mm to 75 mm and is in commercial production. Low
distortion, cost effective, FSW joints are produced, with excellent mechanical properties
being achieved in several aluminum alloys.

Continuing investigations suggest that the FSW of steel will also become
commercially attractive for such applications as ships, pipe fabrication, trucks and railway
wagons and hot plate fabrication.[6]

Friction stir welding produces a refined microstructure compared to that of the original base
metal. Materials such as stainless steels and nickel-based alloys exhibit a fine equiaxed grain
structure on the order of 5–10 μm. This is typically the case with ferritic steels as well;
however, ferritic steels undergo an allotropic phase transformation, and the resulting as-
welded microstructure is quite unique and not fully understood. These microstructures are
dependent upon the welding parameters selected. Excellent welds have been produced in API
Grades X65, X80, and X100, along with traditionally non-weldable L80 steels. Stringent
pipeline qualifications require mechanical testing along with impact testing for specified
toughness. Further tests, including crack tip opening displacement (CTOD), are required for
strain-based pipeline design. API Grade X65 steel 1 ⁄4-in.- thick girth welds have shown
excellent mechanical properties, including overmatched weld and HAZ, and Charpy impact
properties with significant improvements using FSW. Excellent CTOD tests have been
reported in various API grades of steel with weld nuggets showing significantly higher values
that that of the base metal, while some reports have shown unsatisfactory results while
exhibiting high Charpy impact values. As the FSW technology develops for pipeline
applications, a firm understanding of the effects of steel chemistry, welding parameters, and
tool design is required for field implementation. Traditionally non-weldable API Grade L80
used for well casings has also shown excellent weld properties with mechanical properties
equivalent to the base metal and maintaining 21% elongation through the weld. For example,
in welding trials of API Grade X80 steel, a single weld pass was made at partial penetration
due to the small amount of material available. Weld penetration was 0.187 in. (5 mm) of the
full 0.787 in. (20 mm) thickness. The material exhibited excellent weldability, producing fully
consolidated welds under parameters of 550 rev/min and 4 in. (100 mm)/min.[7]

What we have done?

We welded two 5754 Mg-Al alloy plate. This welding is occurred by 700 rpm and
40mm/minute. In order to understand quality of the process, we sectioned 3 samples.
 We will examine the microstructures of these samples and we will try to perform FSW
on steel plates.

3.References

1-Thomas, WM; Nicholas, ED; Needham, JC; Murch, MG;Temple-Smith, P;Dawes,

CJ.Friction-stir butt welding, GB Patent No. 9125978.8, International patent application No.
PCT/GB92/02203, (1991)

2-Kallee, S.W. (2006-09-06). "Friction Stir Welding at TWI". The Welding Institute (TWI).
Retrieved 2009-04-14.

3-Ding, Jeff; Bob Carter, Kirby Lawless, Dr. Arthur Nunes, Carolyn Russell, Michael Suites,
Dr. Judy Schneider (2008-02-14). "A Decade of Friction Stir Welding R&D At NASA's
Marshall Space Flight Center And a Glance into the Future". NASA. Retrieved 2009-04-14.

4- Murr, LE; Liu, G; McClure, JC (1997). "Dynamic recrystalition in the friction-stir welding
of aluminum alloy 1100". Journal of Materials Science Letters 16 (22): 1801–1803.

5- Nicholas, ED (1998). "Developments in the friction-stir welding of metals". ICAA-6: 6th

International Conference on Aluminum Alloys. Toyohashi, Japan.

6- http://www.keytometals.com/page.aspx?ID=CheckArticle&site=kts&NM=219

7-http://research.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/vuwal/Research/PipeDocs/wj0509-44.pdf