Chapter 2
Fundamentals of Friction Stir Welding,
Its Application, and Advancements
Atul Kumar Choudhary and Rahul Jain
Abstract In friction stir welding (FSW) the material is welded without melting
the base material. Aerospace, automobile, shipbuilding and electronics are some
of the industrial sectors which use FSW for manufacturing of components. It is
primarily used because of higher weld efficiency as compared with fusion joining
processes. In this book chapter, the fundamental aspects of the FSW have been briefly
discussed. The chapter also discusses the effect of input responses on the output
responses, application of FSW in various industries, research advances in welding
of similar and dissimilar material using FSW. The FSW tool has two major features
namely, the shoulder and pin, as its shape and dimensions govern the material flow
behavior. In general, a cylindrical tool is used for FSW. Tool rotational speed, tilt
angle, welding speed, and plunge depth are the input conditions which affect the
dynamics of the process. Changes in these parameters have an effect on axial force,
spindle torque, temperature distribution/heat generation and strain. In addition, it
ultimately changes the microstructural, hardness and weld strength. The choice of
the workpiece and tool material for FSW is another big challenge as it has its own
limitations. Application of FSW started with welding of aluminum and magnesium
and its alloy but eventually, it gained traction in welding high-density metals like
copper, titanium and steel. Welding of these materials requires a hard tool material
with the better thermomechanical property as compared to the workpiece to avoid
premature tool wear/failure. FSW is not only limited to similar metal welding but
research is going for welding of material in the dissimilar configuration like aluminum
with copper, magnesium with aluminum, and steel with aluminum etc. The successful
evolution of FSW has led to the emergence of a few new variants of this technology
such as friction stir additive manufacturing, friction stir processing, friction stir spot
welding, and micro FSW.
Keywords Friction stir welding · Solid-state joining · Industrial application · Tool
design
A. K. Choudhary · R. Jain (B)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai, Raipur, India
e-mail: rahul@iitbhilai.ac.in
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. P. Davim (ed.), Welding Technology, Materials Forming, Machining
and Tribology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63986-0_2
41
Fundamentals of Friction Stir Welding,
Its Application, and Advancements
Atul Kumar Choudhary and Rahul Jain
Abstract In friction stir welding (FSW) the material is welded without melting
the base material. Aerospace, automobile, shipbuilding and electronics are some
of the industrial sectors which use FSW for manufacturing of components. It is
primarily used because of higher weld efficiency as compared with fusion joining
processes. In this book chapter, the fundamental aspects of the FSW have been briefly
discussed. The chapter also discusses the effect of input responses on the output
responses, application of FSW in various industries, research advances in welding
of similar and dissimilar material using FSW. The FSW tool has two major features
namely, the shoulder and pin, as its shape and dimensions govern the material flow
behavior. In general, a cylindrical tool is used for FSW. Tool rotational speed, tilt
angle, welding speed, and plunge depth are the input conditions which affect the
dynamics of the process. Changes in these parameters have an effect on axial force,
spindle torque, temperature distribution/heat generation and strain. In addition, it
ultimately changes the microstructural, hardness and weld strength. The choice of
the workpiece and tool material for FSW is another big challenge as it has its own
limitations. Application of FSW started with welding of aluminum and magnesium
and its alloy but eventually, it gained traction in welding high-density metals like
copper, titanium and steel. Welding of these materials requires a hard tool material
with the better thermomechanical property as compared to the workpiece to avoid
premature tool wear/failure. FSW is not only limited to similar metal welding but
research is going for welding of material in the dissimilar configuration like aluminum
with copper, magnesium with aluminum, and steel with aluminum etc. The successful
evolution of FSW has led to the emergence of a few new variants of this technology
such as friction stir additive manufacturing, friction stir processing, friction stir spot
welding, and micro FSW.
Keywords Friction stir welding · Solid-state joining · Industrial application · Tool
design
A. K. Choudhary · R. Jain (B)
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai, Raipur, India
e-mail: rahul@iitbhilai.ac.in
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. P. Davim (ed.), Welding Technology, Materials Forming, Machining
and Tribology, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63986-0_2
41