Friction Stir Welding of High Strength 7XXX Aluminum Alloys

Book excerpt: Friction Stir Welding of High Strength 7XXX Aluminum Alloys is the latest edition in the Friction Stir series and summarizes the research and application of friction stir welding to high strength 7XXX series alloys, exploring the past and current developments in the field. Friction stir welding has demonstrated significant benefits in terms of its potential to reduce cost and increase manufacturing efficiency of industrial products in transportation, particularly the aerospace sector. The 7XXX series aluminum alloys are the premium aluminum alloys used in aerospace. These alloys are typically not weldable by fusion techniques and considerable effort has been expended to develop friction stir welding parameters. Research in this area has shown significant benefit in terms of joint efficiency and fatigue performance as a result of friction stir welding. The book summarizes those results and includes discussion of the potential future directions for further optimization. - Offers comprehensive coverage of friction stir welding of 7XXX series alloys - Discusses the physical metallurgy of the alloys - Includes physical metallurgy based guidelines for obtaining high joint efficiency - Summarizes the research and application of friction stir welding to high strength 7XXX series alloys, exploring the past and current developments in the field