Skip to main content
Log in

Friction Stir Spot Welding-Process and Weld Properties: A Review

  • Review Paper
  • Published:
Journal of The Institution of Engineers (India): Series D Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The need for weight reduction in aerospace and automotive industries requires use of lightweight materials. In order to attain the aforementioned, joining of dissimilar materials such as steel and aluminum came into practice. Friction stir spot welding is a solid-state welding technique capable of joining the materials with wide variation in their properties. This paper discusses the friction stir spot welding process and its variants along with effect of heat generation and material flow on the macrostructure, and mechanical behaviour of FSSW aluminum alloys. Finally, the major issues in friction spot stir welding will be discussed followed by the summary of outcomes and the scope for future work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Y.F. Sun, H. Fujii, N. Tsuji, Microstructure and mechanical properties of spot friction stir welded ultrafine grained 1050 Al and conventional grained 6061–T6 Al alloys. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 585, 17–24 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. T.S. Mahmoud, T.A. Khalifa, Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of aluminum alloy AA5754 friction stir spot welds. J. Mater. Eng. Perform. 23(3), 898–905 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. R.P. Mahto, R. Kumar, S.K. Pal, Characterizations of weld defects, intermetallic compounds and mechanical properties of friction stir lap welded dissimilar alloys. J. Mat. Char. 160, 110–115 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  4. C. Sharma, D.K. Dwivedi, P. Kumar, Influence of pre-weld temper conditions of base metal on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir weld joints of Al–Zn–Mg alloy AA7039. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 620(1), 107–119 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. R.P. Mahto, S.K. Pal, Friction stir welding of dissimilar materials: an investigation of microstructure and nano-indentation study. J. Manuf. Process. 55, 103–118 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. K. Okamoto, F. Hunt, S. Hirano, Development of friction stir welding technique and machine for aluminum sheet metal assembly- friction stir welding of aluminum for automotive applications (2) -. SAE Technical Paper Series. 2005-01-1254 (2005)

  7. D. Li, A. Chrysanthou, I. Patel, G. Williams, Self-piercing riveting: a review. Int J Adv Manuf Technol. 92, 1777–1824 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. K.M. Hong, Y.C. Shin, Prospects of laser welding technology in the automotive industry: A review. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 245, 46–69 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. S.K. Sharma, K. Biswas, A.K. Nath, I. Manna, J.D. Majumdar, Microstructural change during laser welding of inconel 718. OPTIK Int. J. Light Electron Opt. 218, 165029 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. M. Pouranvari, S.P.H. Marashi, Critical review of automotive steels spot welding: Process, structure and properties. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 18(5), 361–403 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. S.M.A.K. Mohammed, Y.D. Jaya, A. Albedah, X.Q. Jiang, D.Y. Li, D.L. Chen, Ultrasonic spot welding of a clad 7075 aluminum alloy: Strength and fatigue life. Int. J. Fatigue. 141, 105869 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. S. Jaiswal, V. Verma, C. Sharma, Dissimilar friction stir spot welding of AA2014 and AA7075 aluminum alloys.  in Recent Advances in Mechanical Engineering, ed. by M. Muzammil, A. Chandra, P.K. Kankar, H. Kumar. Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (Springer, Singapore). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8704-7_69

  13. N.T. Nguyen, D.Y. Kim, H.Y. Kim, Assessment of the failure load for an AA6061-T6 friction stir spot welding joint. Proc. Inst. Mech. Eng. Part B J. Eng. Manuf. 225(10), 1746–1756 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. X.W. Yang, T. Fu, W.Y. Li, Friction stir spot welding: a review on joint macro and microstructure, property, and process modelling. Adv. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2014(697170), 1–11 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  15. C. Bitondo, U. Prisco, A. Squillace, G. Giorleo, P. Buonadonna, G. Dionoro, Friction stir welding of AA2198-T3 butt joints for aeronautical applications. Int J Mater Form. 3, 1079–1082 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. S. Pradeep, S.K. Sharma, V. Pancholi, Influence of friction stir processing parameters on anisotropic behavior property of 5086-o aluminum Alloy. Mater. Sci. Forum 702–703, 348–351 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  17. R.S. Mishra, Z.Y. Ma, Friction stir welding and processing. Mater. Sci. Eng. R Reports. 50(1–2), 1–78 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. C. Sharma, V. Upadhyay, D.K. Dwivedi, P. Kumar, Mechanical properties of friction stir welded armor grade Al–Zn–Mg alloy joints. Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China (English Ed.) 27(3), 493–506 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Kano Y, Inuzuka M, Yamashita S, Nakashima Y, Nagao Y, Iwashita T. Japanese patents application no. P2000-355770, 355770 (2000).

  20. C. Sharma, D.K. Dwivedi, P. Kumar, Effect of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of AA7039 aluminum alloy. Mater. Des. 36, 379–390 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Z. Zhang, X. Yang, J. Zhang, G. Zhou, X. Xu, B. Zou, Effect of welding parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir spot welded 5052 aluminum alloy. Mater. Des. 32(8–9), 4461–4470 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. C. Sharma, D.K. Dwivedi, P. Kumar, Effect of post weld heat treatments on microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded joints of Al-Zn-Mg alloy AA7039. Mater. Des. 43, 134–143 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. R.S. Shekhawat, V.N. Nadakuduru, K.B. Nagumothu, Microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir spot welded Al 6061 alloy lap joint welded in air and water. Mater. Today Proc. 41(5), 995–1000 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. C. Sharma, D.K. Dwivedi, Pradeep Kumar, Influence of in process cooling on tensile behaviour of friction stir welded joints of AA7039. Mater. Sci. Eng. A 556(10), 479–487 (2012)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. S.W. Williams, Welding of airframes using friction stir. Air Sp. Eur. 3(3–4), 64–66 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. H. J. Powell, K. Wiemer, Joining technology for high volume manufacturing of lightweight vehicle structures, In 29th International Symposium on Automotive Technology & Automation, pp. 1–6 (1996).

  27. Y. Tozaki, Y. Uematsu, K. Tokaji, A newly developed tool without probe for friction stir spot welding and its performance. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 210(6–7), 844–851 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. N. Farmanbara, S.M. Mousavizadeb, H.R. Ezatpour, Achieving special mechanical properties with considering dwell time of AA5052 sheets welded by a simple novel friction stir spot welding. Mar. Struct. 65, 197–214 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. P. Briskham, N. Blundell, H. Li, R. Hewitt, K. Young, D. Boomer, Comparison of self-pierce riveting, resistance spot welding and spot friction joining for aluminium automotive sheet, SAE Technical Papers. 2006-01-0771, (2006).

  30. M.P. Mubiayi, E.T. Akinlabi, M.E. Makhatha, Current trends in friction stir welding (FSW) and friction stir spot welding (FSSW). Springer International Publishing. 978-3-319-92750-3 (2019).

  31. Y. Uematsu, K. Tokaji, Y. Tozaki, T. Kurita, S. Murata, Effect of re-filling probe hole on tensile failure and fatigue behaviour of friction stir spot welded joints in Al–-Mg–Si alloy. Int. J. Fatigue 30(10–11), 1956–1966 (2008)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Z. Shen, X. Yang, S. Yang, Z. Zhang, Y. Yin, Microstructure and mechanical properties of friction spot welded 6061–T4 aluminum alloy. Mater. Des. 54, 766–778 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. R.Z. Xu, D.R. Ni, Q. Yang, C.Z. Liu, Z.Y. Ma, Influence of Zn coating on friction stir spot welded magnesium-aluminium joint. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 22(6), 512–519 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. C. Schilling, J. Dos Santos, Method and device for linking at least two adjoining work pieces by friction welding. US Patent 6722556B2 (2004)

  35. A.M. Nasiria, Z. Shenb, J.S.C. Houb, A.P. Gerlich, Failure analysis of tool used in refill friction stir spot welding of Al 2099 alloy. Eng. Fail. Anal. 84, 25–33 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. J. Shen, S.B.M. Lage, U.F.H. Suhuddin, C. Bolfarini, J.F. Dos Santos, Texture development and material flow behavior during refill friction stir spot welding of AlMgSc. Metallurgic. Mater. Trans. A. 49, 241–254 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Y.F. Sun, H. Fujii, N. Takaki, Y. Okitsu, Novel spot friction stir welding of 6061 and 5052 Al alloys. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 16(7), 605–612 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. M. Fujimoto, S. Koga, N. Abe, S.Y. Sato, H. Kokawa, Analysis of plastic flow of the Al alloy joint produced by friction stir spot welding. Weld. Int. 23(8), 589–596 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. S. Bozzi, A.L. Helbert-Etter, T. Baudin, V. Klosek, J.G. Kerbiguet, B. Criqui, Influence of FSSW parameters on fracture mechanisms of 5182 aluminium welds. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 210(11), 1429–1435 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. J.Y. Cao, M. Wang, L. Kong, L.J. Guo, Hook formation and mechanical properties of friction spot welding in alloy 6061–T6. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 230, 254–262 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Y. Tozaki, Y. Uematsu, K. Tokaji, Effect of tool geometry on microstructure and static strength in friction stir spot welded aluminium alloys. Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf. 47(15), 2230–2236 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. J.M. Piccini, H.G. Svoboda, Effect of the tool penetration depth in friction stir spot welding (FSSW) of dissimilar aluminum alloys. Proc. Mater. Sci. 8, 868–877 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. H. Badarinarayan, Q. Yang, S. Zhu, Effect of tool geometry on static strength of friction stir spot-welded aluminum alloy. Int. J. Mach. Tools Manuf. 49(2), 142–148 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Y.S. Sato, H. Takauchi, S.H.C. Park, H. Kokawa, Characteristics of the kissing-bond in friction stir welded Al alloy 1050. Mater. Sci. Eng. A. 405(1–2), 333–338 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Y. Song, X. Yang, L. Cui, X. Hou, Z. Shen, Y. Xu, Defect features and mechanical properties of friction stir lap welded dissimilar AA2024-AA7075 aluminum alloy sheets. Mater. Des. 55, 9–18 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. S. Babu, V.S. Sankar, G.D. Janaki Ram, P.V. Venkitakrishnan, G. Madhusudhan Reddy, K. Prasad Rao, Microstructures and mechanical properties of friction stir spot welded aluminum alloy AA2014. J. Mater. Eng. Perform 22(1), 71–84 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Y.C. Lin, J.N. Chen, Influence of process parameters on friction stir spot welded aluminum joints by various threaded tools. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 225, 347–356 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Z. Li, Y. Yue, S. Ji, C. Peng, L. Wang, Optimal design of thread geometry and its performance in friction stir spot welding. Mater. Des. 94, 368–376 (2016)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. W. Li, J. Li, Z. Zhang, D. Gao, W. Wang, C. Dong, Improving mechanical properties of pinless friction stir spot welded joints by eliminating hook defect. Mater. Des. 62, 247–254 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. G. Zhang, C. Xiao, O.O. Ojo, Dissimilar friction stir spot welding of AA2024-T3/AA7075-T6 aluminum alloys under different welding parameters and media. Def. Technol. 17(2), 531–544 (2021)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Y.H. Yin, N. Sun, T.H. North, S.S. Hu, Hook formation and mechanical properties in AZ31 friction stir spot welds. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 210(14), 2062–2070 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. S.R. Yazdi, B. Beidokhti, M. Haddad-Sabzevar, Pinless tool for FSSW of AA 6061–T6 aluminum alloy. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 267, 44–51 (2018)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. W. Yuan, R.S. Mishra, S. Webb, Y.L. Chen, B. Carlson, D.R. Herling, G.J. Grant, Effect of tool design and process parameters on properties of Al alloy 6016 friction stir spot welds. J. Mater. Process. Technol. 211(6), 972–977 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. T. Rosendo, B. Parra, M.A.D. Tier, A.A.M. da Silva, J.F. dos Santos, T.R. Strohaecker, N.G. Alcântara, Mechanical and microstructural investigation of friction spot welded AA6181-T4 aluminium alloy. Mater. Des. 32(3), 1094–1100 (2011)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Z. Shen, X. Yang, Z. Zhang, L. Cui, T. Li, Microstructure and failure mechanisms of refill friction stir spot welded 7075–T6 aluminum alloy joints. Mater. Des. 44, 476–486 (2013)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. D.M. Rodrigues, A. Loureiro, C. Leitao, R.M. Leal, B.M. Chaparro, P. Vilaça, Influence of friction stir welding parameters on the microstructural and mechanical properties of AA 6016–T4 thin welds. Mater. Des. 30(6), 1913–1921 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Y. Uematsu, K. Tokaji, Comparison of fatigue behaviour between resistance spot and friction stir spot welded aluminium alloy sheets. Sci. Technol. Weld. Join. 14(1), 62–71 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Z. Shena, Y. Ding, A.P. Gerlich, Advances in friction stir spot welding. Crit. Rev. Solid State Mater. Sci. 45(6), 457–534 (2020)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  59. Z. Shen, Y. Ding, J. Chen, L. Fu, X.C. Liu, H. Chen, W. Guo, A.P. Gerlich, Microstructure, static and fatigue properties of refill friction stir spot welded 7075–T6 aluminium alloy using a modified tool. Sci. Technol. Weld. Joining 24(7), 587–600 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The financial support from the Seed grant under TEQIP-III (TEQIP/181/2020) from BIT Sindri is gratefully acknowledged.

Funding

The funding was provided by BIT Sindri, SEED grant under TEQIP-III (TEQIP/181/2020).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sumit K. Sharma.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sharma, C., Tripathi, A., Upadhyay, V. et al. Friction Stir Spot Welding-Process and Weld Properties: A Review. J. Inst. Eng. India Ser. D 102, 549–565 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-021-00276-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40033-021-00276-z

Keywords

Navigation