1 Friction Stir Welding
33
Fig. 1.17 Eclipse 500-first commercial aircraft built by TWI—reprinted under Wikimedia
commons license
FSW has been tremendously used by NASA for manufacturing large tanks for their
satellite launch vehicles. Many of the fuels tanks for satellites are now fabricated with
the help of FSW much quickly and efficiently. Hence, FSW technique is normally
considered for fabricating the following and their parts:
• Cryogenic fuel tanks for space vehicles
• Aviation fuel tanks
• Wings, fuselages
• Military and scientific rockets
1.8.3 Railway Industry
FSW in railway industry is primarily used for production of aluminum panels for
rolling stock. These panels are used for the side walls, under carriages as well
as the roof panels of trains. By using FSW, many of the limitations of traditional
fusion welding, viz. low life, distortion and warping, in the panels could be avoided.
By realizing these benefits, many of the railway manufacturing industries have
employed FSW for producing modern passenger railcars from longitudinal aluminum
extrusions with integrated stiffeners.
33
Fig. 1.17 Eclipse 500-first commercial aircraft built by TWI—reprinted under Wikimedia
commons license
FSW has been tremendously used by NASA for manufacturing large tanks for their
satellite launch vehicles. Many of the fuels tanks for satellites are now fabricated with
the help of FSW much quickly and efficiently. Hence, FSW technique is normally
considered for fabricating the following and their parts:
• Cryogenic fuel tanks for space vehicles
• Aviation fuel tanks
• Wings, fuselages
• Military and scientific rockets
1.8.3 Railway Industry
FSW in railway industry is primarily used for production of aluminum panels for
rolling stock. These panels are used for the side walls, under carriages as well
as the roof panels of trains. By using FSW, many of the limitations of traditional
fusion welding, viz. low life, distortion and warping, in the panels could be avoided.
By realizing these benefits, many of the railway manufacturing industries have
employed FSW for producing modern passenger railcars from longitudinal aluminum
extrusions with integrated stiffeners.