Friction stir welding

Friction stir welding is a fairly new way of joining metal that creates a bond while the material stays solid. A spinning tool heats the workpieces through friction, softening them just short of their melting point, and travels along the seam. As the tool moves, softened metal flows from the front edge of its probe to the back, fusing the two pieces together without any molten stage.

The book explains the basics of the process and shows how it is applied in industry. Its first part covers the general principles, including how the material deforms and how the joint forms, along with inspection and quality control, the equipment the process requires and the machines themselves, and current industrial uses. A closing chapter looks ahead to where the technique may be heading. The second part examines the variables that shape a weld, such as residual stresses, the effects and defects that can appear in finished welds, modelling of thermal behaviour, and metallurgy and overall weld performance.

The volume is aimed at mechanical, welding and materials engineers working in aerospace, automotive, railway, shipbuilding, nuclear and other metal fabrication industries, especially those who work with aluminium alloys. Its contributors are an international group of specialists.