Current advancements in friction stir welding of high density materials: A review

Abstract

In today's industrial sector, welding seems to be a very essential procedure required for the manufacture and renovation of metal products. Scientists are continuously searching for the right forms of welding to be used for different joints. This growing interest will contribute to the use of dissimilar alloys that involve welding. Owing to energy efficiency and environmental friendliness, Friction stir welding (FSW), extremely efficient solid-state joining method, was being referred to as “green” technology. This is an emerging paradigm for joining metallic components, in specific compact high-strength alloys that have been known as non-weldable by conventional fusion welding. This is also recognized as being the most important breakthrough in the field of material integration over the last couple of decades. As in the current context, welding of metallic materials is substituted through FSW due to its special characteristics across fusion welding processes, i.e. lowered heat-affected zone (HAZ), significantly lower porous defect, eco-friendly, minimized distortion, no gas shielding requirement, etc. This review article provides a framework for engineers and designers to explore FSW for a broader variety of different materials. Applications, challenges as well as other factors relevant to FSW are also discussed to provide guidelines for the worldwide scientific community to undertake comprehensive research in this area. This review ends with suggestions for the future direction of study.