US EPA

1769339 

Journal Article 

Friction stir welding: after a decade of development 

Arbegast, WJ 

2007 

3-18 

WOS:000247398000001 

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is an innovative solid state
welding process invented in 1991 by TWI- The Welding Institute [1]. FSW can arguably be said to
represent one of the most significant developments in joining technology over the last half
century. The initial development by TWI and its industrial partners under various Group Sponsored
Projects focused on single pass, complete joint penetration of arc weldable (5XXX and 6XXX) and
un-weldable (2XXX and 7XXX) aluminum alloys up to I inch thick. By 1995, FSW had matured to a
point where it could be transitioned and implemented in the US aerospace and automotive markets.
The many advantages of FSW compared to conventional arc welding have repeatedly been demonstrated
with both improved joint properties and performance. Often, production costs are significantly
reduced. Other times, FSW enables new product forms to be produced or skilled labor freed to
perform other tasks. Research and development efforts over the last decade have resulted in
improvements in FSW, and, the spin-off of a series of related technologies. 

friction stir welding; friction stir spot welding; friction stir processing; friction stir joining; friction stir reaction processing