Friction Stir Welding in Automotive Processes and Developments - TWI

1/12/2020 Friction Stir Welding: Automotive Processes and Developments - TWI
Home > Technical Knowledge > Published Papers >
FRICTION STIR WELDING:

AUTOMOTIVE PROCESSES AND
DEVELOPMENTS

Friction Stir Welding - Process Variants and Developments in

the Automotive Industry
W M Thomas, S W Kallee, D G Staines and P J Oakley
TWI Ltd
Paper presented at 2006 SAE World Congress, 3-7 April 2006, Cobo Center, Detroit, Michigan,
USA.
Abstract Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest
news and events from TWI:

Friction stir welding (FSW) is now extensively used in industry for joining and material
Subscribe
processing applications. The >
(FSW) technology has gained increasing interest and importance
since its invention at TWI almost 14 years ago. Thebasic principle and the continuing
https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/published-papers/friction-stir-welding-process-variants-and-developments-in-the-automotive-industry… 1/16
development of the FSW technology are described, and recent applications in the automotive
industries are reviewed. The paper will introduce dual-rotation friction stir welding, whereby
the shoulderrotates at a slower speed than the probe, e ectively lowering the welding
temperature when compared with welds made by conventional rotary friction stir welding. The
lower temperatures produced in dual-rotation friction stir weldshave been shown to produce
better mechanical properties than conventional friction stir welds and are believed to also
improve the corrosion properties of the weld.
Introduction
With increasing international competition and the need to reduce the weight of cars, this paper
reviews rst the industrial uptake and some automotive applications of the conventional rotary
friction stir welding (FSW) process andthen introduces new variants of the FSW technology.
Friction Stir Welding (FSW) was invented and patented in 1991 by TWI and has since then been
developed to a stage where it is being applied in production. Currently 120 organisationshold
non-exclusive licences to use the process. Most of them are industrial companies, and they
have led more than 1300 patent applications related to FSW.
The basic principle of conventional rotary friction stir welding (FSW) and the main terms that
de ne the process characteristics are shown in Fig.1.
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest
Subscribe >
Fig.1. Basic principle of conventional rotary friction stir welding
FSW is conducted below the melting point by pressing a rotating tool into the joint line. The
wear-resistant FSW tool has a pro led probe and a shoulder with a larger diameter than that of
the probe. The probe length is similar tothe required weld depth. The tool is traversed along
the joint line, while the shoulder is pressed onto the surface of the workpiece, to provide
consolidation of the plasticised workpiece material.
Automotive applications of FSW
The subsequent examples of automotive applications for FSW are taken from the public
domain and represent the growing use of the technology. Acknowledgements are made to the
source and it is noted that these examples arerepresentative but not exhaustive.
In 1998, TWI started a study on aluminium tailored blanks for door panels ( Fig.2) and
demonstrated new concepts on FSW drive shafts and space frames in a con dential group
sponsored project involving BMW, DaimlerChrysler, EWI, Ford, General Motors, Rover, Tower
Automotive and Volvo.
Fig.2. FSW tailor welded blank produced from 6000 series aluminium in 1998
TWI, BMW, Land Rover
As a consequence of the encouraging results of this project, FSW and its variant Friction Stir
Subscribe
Spot Welding (FSSW) are to used
now being our newsletter to receive
in the series the latest
production of aluminium automotive
components at several news and worldwide:

locations events from TWI:
Subscribe >
Ford in Detroit (USA) uses a friction stir welded centre tunnel for the Ford GT sports car ( Fig.3).
The centre tunnel is a structural part that increases the rigidity of the chassis and is also used
as a vapour tight fuel tank, ( Fig.4). The location of the tank provides good weight distribution
and crashworthiness. The mechanical components, including the fuel pumps, level sensors and
vapour control valves are rst mounted on a steel rail. Then, asingle-piece tank is blow-
moulded around the rail. This 'ship-in-a-bottle' design concept maximizes the fuel volume and
reduces the number of connections to the fuel system.
Fig.3. The friction stir welded aluminium centre tunnel of the Ford GT houses the fuel tank
(Courtesy Ford)
Fig.4. Friction stir welding of the centre tunnel of the Ford GT (Courtesy Tower Automotive
and Ford)
Tower Automotive in Grand Rapids (Michigan, USA) produces aluminium suspension links for
Lincoln Town Cars designated as stretched limousines. These have heavy-duty rear axles
Subscribe >
installed, while the rest of the rear suspension remainsunchanged. The suspension link is
made from two identical extrusions, friction stir welded simultaneously with two spindles from
both sides ( Fig.5). This provides excellent fatigue properties.
Fig.5. Friction stir welded suspension links for Lincoln stretched limousines
(Courtesy Tower Automotive)
Sapa in Finspång (Sweden) uses a purpose built FSW machine with two welding heads for
welding hollow aluminium extrusions from both sides simultaneously, to produce foldable rear
seats of the Volvo V70 station wagon. Themachine has a carousel-type loading and unloading
station and is automatically loaded by an articulated arm robot ( Fig.6).
Fig.6. FSW production of Volvo rear car seats
(Courtesy Sapa)
Mazda in Hiroshima (Japan) uses friction stir spot welding for the rear doors and bonnet of the
Mazda RX-8 ( Fig.7). The bonnet of this sports car has an impact-absorbing structure aimed at
enhancing pedestrian protection. They use this process to avoid spatter and to reduce the
Subscribe >
energy consumption signi cantly in comparison toresistance spot welding.
Fig.7. Friction stir spot welding of rear doors for the Mazda RX-8
(Courtesy Mazda)
Showa Denko in Oyama City (Japan) joins extruded end-pieces to 20-30 mm diameter tubes for
the manufacture of suspension arms. The rubber of the end-pieces of the suspension arms
can be vulcanised prior to welding due to the lowheat input of the new assembly method (
Fig.8).
Fig.8. FSW suspension struts
(Courtesy Showa Denko)
Simmons Wheels in Alexandria (Australia) developed a new method of producing a wheel rim
from rolled aluminium 6061-O sheet. From this they form a cylinder with a longitudinal friction
stir weld. After cutting this into rim sectionsthey spin form it into the desired rim pro le and
nally subject this part to heat treatment to the required T6 temper. The company is now
supporting UT Alloy Works
newsinand
Guandong (China)
events from during FSW production ramp-up of light
TWI:
alloywheels ( Fig.9).
Subscribe >
Fig.9. Aftermarket three-piece wheel made from friction stir welded and spinformed
aluminium cylinders
(Courtesy Simmons Wheels and UT Alloy Works)
A new technique of joining two parts of a car wheel ( Fig.10) has been invented, in which cast or
forged centre parts are friction stir welded to rims that are made from wrought alloys. This
concept is now being industrialised by DanStir in Copenhagen (Denmark). This reduces
thewheel weight by 20-25% providing a leading Norwegian wheel supplier with a business
advantage over its competitors.
Fig.10. FSW of a casting to a spin formed wheel rim

(Courtesy Hydro)
Riftec in Geesthacht (Germany) provides subcontract production and engineering consultancy,
Subscribe >
e.g. during the installation of FSW robots in automotive manufacturing lines. One of their
automotive related projects concerned theproduction of welded test specimens for study of
the Berlin-based company Inpro ( Fig.11).
Fig.11. Robotic FSW of automotive parts
(Courtesy Riftec)
Friction Stir Link in Waukesha (Wisconsin, USA) is a service supplier focussing on the
automotive industry. It provides FSW process development, technology transfer, moderate-
volume production and friction stir welding systemintegration services ( Fig.12).
Fig.12. CNC controlled FSSW gun on an articulated arm robot
( Courtesy Friction Stir Link)
Sapa produced a friction stir welded prototype engine cradle recently. The cradle is the result
of a lightweight study to reduce the weight in the front end of the vehicle. The weight of this
substructure is 16kg, as compared to23kg for the steel version.

This assembly uses various
newssemi-fabricated
and events fromproducts
TWI: and joining methods. The side members
are hydro formed aluminium extrusions. The front cross member is a straight extruded
Subscribe >
member. The rear cross member is built up of a sand castpart and a plate joined to the casting
by FSW. The FSW operation was executed in three dimensions. A cost analysis showed the
concept to be competitive to other concepts within the framework put forward by the
customer ( Fig.13).
Fig.13. Prototype FSW engine cradle
(Courtesy Sapa)
Dual-rotation Friction Stir Welding
The systematic development of Friction stir welding (FSW) has led to a number of variants of
the technology. The following describes preliminary studies being carried out on dual-rotation
friction stir welding, its e ect onlowering welding temperature and minimising the thermal
softening of the weld region of certain heat-treatable aluminium alloys.
A dual-rotation FSW variant is being investigated at TWI, whereby, the probe and shoulder
rotate separately. The dual-rotation FSW variant provides for a di erential in speed and/or
direction between the independently rotatingprobe and the rotating surrounding shoulder as
shown in Figure 14.
Subscribe >
Fig.14. Principle of dual-rotation friction stir welding with rotation of the probe and
shoulder in the same direction
The apparatus can enable a range of di erent rotational speeds to be pre-selected or varied
automatically by in-process control to suit the desired welding conditions.
In conventional rotary FSW, the relative velocity of the tool increases from zero at the probe
centre to maximum velocity at the outer diameter of the shoulder. The dual-rotation technique
can signi cantly modify the velocitygradient between the probe centre and the shoulder
diameter. This technique provides a di erential in rotation speed and the option for rotation in
opposite directions. For example the shoulder rotational speed can be in nitelyvaried from
approximately 30% less than the probe rotational speed down to almost zero rotational speed
while rotating in the same direction or about 25% less than the probe rotational speed down
to almost zero rotational speed whenthe shoulder is rotated in the opposite direction.
This dual-rotation technique e ectively allows for a high probe rotational speed without a
corresponding increase in shoulder peripheral velocity. This technique can provide for a more
optimised rotational speed for both probe andshoulder.
Dependent on the material and process conditions used, over-heating or melting along the
'near shoulder side' of the weld surface of certain friction stir welds can occur. Melting can lead
to fusion related defects along the 'nearshoulder side' weld surface. The dual-rotation
technique can be used to reduce the shoulder rotational speed as appropriate and, therefore,
help reduce any tendency towards over-heating or melting, while maintaining a higher
rotationalspeed for the probe.
Figure 15 shows the appearance

Subscribeof
tothe
ourweld
newsletter
surfacetothat
receive
is formed
the latest
beneath the tool shoulder
after dual-rotation stir welding.

Subscribe >
https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/published-papers/friction-stir-welding-process-variants-and-developments-in-the-automotive-industr… 10/16
Fig.15. Surface appearance of dual-rotation stir weld made in 16 mm thick 5083-H111
aluminium alloy at a welding speed of 3 mm/sec (180 mm/min), using 584 rev/min for the
probe and 219 rev/min for the shoulder
Owing to the relatively low temperature reached, with solid-phase welding techniques such as
FSW, the problems of solidi cation and liquation cracking when fusion welding certain
materials, can be signi cantly reduced. However,the thermal cycle produced in FSW is
su cient to modify the original alloy temper in certain heat-treatable materials (e.g. 2xxx and
7xxx series aluminium alloys) producing a reduction in both the mechanical and corrosion
propertiesacross the weld.
One advantage of dual-rotation FSW is that it reduces the peak temperature reached during
the weld thermal cycle. Figure 16 shows a comparison of thermal pro les produced by
conventional rotary and dual-rotation friction stir welds made in AA7050-T7451 using similar
probes and process conditions. For a given travel speed of 5.25 mm/sec(315 mm/min), a
di erence of approximately 66°C in the maximum temperature of the HAZ region close to the
probe (5 mm from the weld centre line) is shown.
Subscribe >
Fig.16. Thermal pro les of conventional rotary friction stir welds and dual-rotation friction
stir welds made in 6.35 mm AA7050-T7451, using the same probe geometry and a travel
speed of 5.25 mm/secs (315 mm/min). The probe rotation speed was 394 rev/min and 388
rev/min for conventional rotary and dual-rotation stir welding techniques respectively
The lower temperatures reached in the dual rotary weld reduce the change in mechanical
properties produced during friction stir welding. After two months natural ageing ( Figures 17
& 18), the dual-rotation friction stir weld shows higher hardness values in the stirred zone,
thermo mechanical a ect zone (TMAZ) and heat a ected zone (HAZ) compared to the
conventional friction stir weld.This indicates that the lower temperatures produced by the
dual-rotation technique reduced thermal softening resulting in an increase in weld hardness.
Subscribe >
Fig.17. Hardness traverses as a function of depth through the cross section of a
conventional friction stir weld made in 6.35 mm AA7050-T7451, using a travel speed of 5.25
mm/sec (315 mm/min) and a probe rotation speed of 394 rev/min
Fig.18. Hardness traverses as a function of depth through the cross section of a dual-rotary
friction stir weld made in 6.35 mm AA7050-T7451, using the same probe geometry used in
the conventional friction stir weld ( Figure 17), a travel speed of 5.25 mm/sec (315 mm/min),
and a probe rotation speed of 388 rev/min and a shoulder rotational speed of 145 rev/min
The HAZ of conventional friction stir welds in both 2xxx and 7xxx series aluminium alloys has
been shown to be the region most susceptible to localised corrosive attack. [4] Figure 19 shows
a comparison of the extent of corrosion in specimens from conventional and dual-rotation
friction stir welds that were exposed to the same test. Both welds were made in 6.35 mm
AA7050-T7451, using similarprobes and process conditions.
Subscribe >
Fig.19. Photomacrograph of the top surface of a) conventional friction stir weld b) dual-
rotation friction stir weld. After two months natural ageing the 'near shoulder side' of the
weld surface was removed and the surface prepared to a ¼ micron nish before being
immersed in a 0.1M NaCl aerated solution at ambient temperature for 7 days. Both welds
were made in 6.35 mm AA7050-T7451 using the same probe geometry and a travel speed of
9.2 mm/secs (552 mm/min). The probe rotation speed was 394 rev/min and 388 rev/min for
conventional rotary and dual-rotation stir welding techniques respectively. A shoulder
rotational speed of 145 rev/min was used for dual-rotation
In the conventional friction stir weld the high temperature HAZ is shiny due to severe localised
attack that has occurred in this region, therefore cathodically protecting the surrounding areas
in the HAZ. In the dual-rotationfriction stir weld there is no shiny region evident in the HAZ
suggesting the degree of localised attack occurring.
Conclusion
Subscribe
This paper provides examples to our
of the newsletter
growing use ofto receive
friction the
stir latest technology for welding
welding
news and
and spot welding applications. eventsdevelopments
Further from TWI: of the technology are likely to increase
the types of applications that can bejoined

Subscribe > by FSW.
Results are shown for the dual-rotation technique that can signi cantly modify the velocity
gradient between the probe centre and the shoulder diameter. These trials con rm that use of
slower shoulder rotational speed lowers theHAZ temperature during the welding operation.
This e ectively reduces thermal softening in the HAZ region. TWI is continuing studies to
develop and perfect the dual-rotation friction stir welding and material processing technique.
Work will continue at TWI to investigate the use of dual-rotation on spot, butt, and lap welds. In
addition, trials will be undertaken to achieve improvements in traverse rate and investigate
tool tilt angle. Further work will alsobe undertaken to study the use of the contra-rotation
variant.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements are made for the support and contributions provided by C S Wiesner, I M
Norris, P Woollin, C Goodfellow, and E R Watts.
References
1. Thomas W M, Nicholas E D, Needham J C, Murch M G, Temple-Smith P and Dawes C

J: 'Improvements relating to friction welding'. European Patent Speci cation 0 615
480 B1.
2. Mahoney M W, Rhodes C G, Flinto J G, Spurling R A and Bingel W H: 'Properties of

friction stir welded 7075-T651 aluminium'. Metallurgical and Materials
Transactions, Vol. 29A, pp1955-1964, 1998.
3. Biallas G, Braun R, Dalle Donne C, Staniek G and Kaysser W A: 'Mechanical

properties and corrosion behaviour of friction stir welded 2024-T3'. 1st
International Friction Stir Welding Symposium, Thousand Oaks, California, USA,
1999. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest
4. Hannour F, news
Davenport
and events
A J andfrom
Strangwood
TWI: M: 'Corrosion of friction stir welds in
high strength aluminium alloys'. 2nd International Symposium on Friction Stir
Subscribe
Welding, Gothenberg, > 2000.
Sweden,
For more information please email:
contactus@twi.co.uk
Granta Park, Great Abington, Cambridge, CB21 6AL, UK
+44(0)1223 899000
contactus@twi.co.uk
Subscribe to our newsletters
Copyright © 2020 TWI Ltd. All rights reserved.

Terms Privacy Cookies Modern Slavery Statement Safeguarding Policy
Subscribe >

Friction Stir Welding in Automotive Processes and Developments - TWI

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Friction Stir Welding in Automotive Processes and Developments - TWI

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

1/12/2020 Friction Stir Welding: Automotive Processes and Developments - TWI

Home > Technical Knowledge > Published Papers >

FRICTION STIR WELDING:

Friction Stir Welding - Process Variants and Developments in

Abstract Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

news and events from TWI:

improve the corrosion properties of the weld.

developed to a stage where it is being applied in production. Currently 120 organisationshold

have led more than 1300 patent applications related to FSW.

de ne the process characteristics are shown in Fig.1.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

news and events from TWI:

Fig.1. Basic principle of conventional rotary friction stir welding

consolidation of the plasticised workpiece material.

Automotive applications of FSW

Automotive and Volvo.

TWI, BMW, Land Rover

components at several news and worldwide:

reduces the number of connections to the fuel system.

both sides ( Fig.5). This provides excellent fatigue properties.

(Courtesy Tower Automotive)

station and is automatically loaded by an articulated arm robot ( Fig.6).

Fig.6. FSW production of Volvo rear car seats

Fig.8. FSW suspension struts

(Courtesy Showa Denko)

(Courtesy Simmons Wheels and UT Alloy Works)

concept is now being industrialised by DanStir in Copenhagen (Denmark). This reduces

advantage over its competitors.

Fig.10. FSW of a casting to a spin formed wheel rim

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

the Berlin-based company Inpro ( Fig.11).

Fig.11. Robotic FSW of automotive parts

automotive industry. It provides FSW process development, technology transfer, moderate-

volume production and friction stir welding systemintegration services ( Fig.12).

Fig.12. CNC controlled FSSW gun on an articulated arm robot

( Courtesy Friction Stir Link)

substructure is 16kg, as compared to23kg for the steel version.

Fig.13. Prototype FSW engine cradle

Dual-rotation Friction Stir Welding

softening of the weld region of certain heat-treatable aluminium alloys.

shown in Figure 14.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

news and events from TWI:

shoulder in the same direction

automatically by in-process control to suit the desired welding conditions.

optimised rotational speed for both probe andshoulder.

rotationalspeed for the probe.

Figure 15 shows the appearance

after dual-rotation stir welding.

Fig.15. Surface appearance of dual-rotation stir weld made in 16 mm thick 5083-H111

probe and 219 rev/min for the shoulder

propertiesacross the weld.

probe (5 mm from the weld centre line) is shown.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

news and events from TWI:

dual-rotation technique reduced thermal softening resulting in an increase in weld hardness.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest

news and events from TWI:

Fig.17. Hardness traverses as a function of depth through the cross section of a

mm/sec (315 mm/min) and a probe rotation speed of 394 rev/min

a comparison of the extent of corrosion in specimens from conventional and dual-rotation

AA7050-T7451, using similarprobes and process conditions.

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest