Popis: |
Abstract Friction stir welding (FSW) has matured considerably since its introduction in 1991. Over the last decades, it has indeed branched and been applied in different fields, such as automotive, aerospace, railway, and shipbuilding. This article aims to survey the basic knowledge related to the conventional FSW of aluminum alloys in order to provide a tool for understanding the friction stir processes. The review covers the five basic process parameters: rotational speed, welding speed, tool geometry, tilt angle, and plunge depth. Furthermore, it presents the related equations and recommended ranges of those parameters to facilitate the process design step for industrial implementation. A sample of 30 published articles was drawn for that purpose. The current article also discusses the main five properties most researchers are interested in, namely, microstructure, microhardness, tensile strength, residual stresses, and distortion. |