Friction stir welding (FSW) is a relatively new solid-state joining process. This joining technique is energy efficient, environment friendly, and versatile. In particular, it can be used to join high-strength aerospace aluminum alloys and other metallic alloys that are hard to weld by conventional fusion welding. FSW is considered to be the most significant development in metal joining in a decade. Recently, friction stir processing (FSP) was developed for microstructural modification of metallic materials. In this review article, the current state of understanding and development of the FSW and FSP are addressed. Particular emphasis has been given to: (a) mechanisms responsible for the formation of welds and microstructural refinement, and (b) effects of FSW/FSP parameters on resultant microstructure and final mechanical properties. While the bulk of the information is related to aluminum alloys, important results are now available for other metals and alloys. At this stage, the technology diffusion has significantly outpaced the fundamental understanding of microstructural evolution and microstructure–property relationships.

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Friction Stir Welding and Processing

Recent advances in friction-stir welding : Process, weldment structure and properties

The comprehensive body of knowledge that has built up with respect to the friction stir welding (FSW) of aluminium alloys since the technique was invented in 1991 is reviewed The basic principles of FSW are described, including thermal history and metal flow, before discussing how process parameters affect the weld microstructure and the likelihood of entraining defects After introducing the characteristic macroscopic features, the microstructural development and related distribution of hardness are reviewed in some detail for the two classes of wrought aluminium alloy (non-heat-treatable and heat-treatable) Finally, the range of mechanical properties that can be achieved is discussed, including consideration of residual stress, fracture, fatigue and corrosion It is demonstrated that FSW of aluminium is becoming an increasingly mature technology with numerous commercial applications In spite of this, much remains to be learned about the process and opportunities for further research a

Friction stir welding of aluminium alloys

Grain structure formation during friction stir welding observed by the ‘stop action technique’

The aluminum (Al) alloys 6063-T5 and T4 were friction-stir welded at different tool rotation speeds (R), and then distributions of the microstructure and hardness were examined in these welds. The maximum temperature of the welding thermal cycle rose with increasing R values. The recrystallized grain size of the weld increased exponentially with increasing maximum temperature. The relationship between the grain size and the maximum temperature satisfied the static grain-growth equation. In the as-welded condition, 6063-T5 Al was softened around the weld center, whereas 6063-T4 Al showed homogeneous hardness profiles. Different R values did not result in significant differences in the hardness profile in these welds, except for the width of the softened region in the weld of 6063-T5 Al. Postweld aging raised the hardness in most parts of the welds, but the increase in hardness was small in the stir zone produced at the lower R values. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations detected a similar distribution of the strengthening precipitates in the grain interiors and the presence of a precipitation-free zone (PFZ) adjacent to the grain boundaries in all the welds. Microstructural analyses suggested that the small increase in hardness in the stir zone produced at the lower R values was caused by an increase in the volume fraction of PFZs.

Parameters controlling microstructure and hardness during friction-stir welding of precipitation-hardenable aluminum alloy 6063

In order to characterize plastic flow during friction-stir welding, the microtextures in a friction-stir weld of the precipitation-hardened aluminum alloy 6063 have been analyzed by orientation imaging microscopy (OIM). The base-material plate has a Goss orientation. The weld center region, except for the upper surface, takes a typical shear texture component with two types of orientations. The orientations have a pair of common {111} and 〈110〉 parallel to the cylindrical pin surface and transverse direction of the plate, respectively. The typical texture component is also observed around the weld center on the midsection, although it rotates about the plate normal direction. A microtexture analysis after postweld heat treatment has suggested that dynamic recrystallization during friction-stir welding generates the recrystallized grains at the weld center.

Keiske Ikeda

Papers

Microtexture in the friction-stir weld of an aluminum alloy