S.W. Kallee, W.M. Thomas, E.D. Nicholas

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a patented joining process, which was invented at TWI a decade ago. A wear resistant rotating tool is used to join sheet and plate materials such as aluminium, copper and lead. In laboratory experiments, magnesium, zinc, titanium and steel have also been friction stir welded. The welds are made below the melting point in the solid phase. The excellent mechanical properties and low distortion are attributed to the low heat input and the absence of melting. As it is a solid state process, FSW permits joining of materials that cannot be welded with conventional fusion welding processes. In the aerospace industry, large tanks for launch vehicles are being produced by FSW from highstrength aluminium alloys, and a Delta 11 rocket with a friction stir welded Interstage Module has successfully been launched in August 1999. All major manufacturers of military and civil aircraft (large and small) are currently investigating the potential for replacing riveting by FSW and five large international collaborative projects have been launched to assess the benefits.

19th European Conference on Materials for Aerospace Applications, Munich, Germany, 2000

Book Chapter

englisch

14,8 x 21,0 cm, 8 Seiten

DGLR-Bericht, 2001, 2001-02, Advanced Aerospace Materials - Proceedings 2000 ; S.33-40; 2001; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt - Lilienthal-Oberth e.V., Bonn

NA

aluminium, structural design, aeronautics

Bibliothek

2001