Friction Stir welding - Development and Application

Abstract

The paper presents the process of Friction Stir Welding, then gives a brief history of development, application in industry, adopted terminology of the process, as well as an review of selected research. The essence of the process is welding in the solid state, where melting of the material is avoided, which FSW classifies as an ecologically clean and energy efficient process, with exceptionally good and reliable characteristics of the welded joint. A great advantage is in joining hard-to-weld similar and dissimilar materials, using a rotating tool, with heat generation, so that the material is heated, plastically deformed and joined in a warm state. It is widely applied in welding butt joints of aluminum alloy plates in one pass with a thickness of 0.3 mm to 75 mm. The paper also provides an overview of a number of researches on the Friction Stir Welding process, which relate to: plates of different thicknesses and materials, different joint types, analysis of the microstructure of the welded joint, flow of materials, determination of temperature and force components, numerical simulations and mechanical testing. The future directions of the development of this technology are also given.