Friction stir welding of dissimilar metals

This chapter focuses on advances in friction stir welding (FSW) of dissimilar materials. Since the invention of the FSW technique, the process has been continually improved and its scope of application expanded. Most of the work done to bring FSW to production applications has not only been practical in nature, but has also been driven primarily by the pressing need of industry. The FSW of low melting temperature materials, such as aluminium and its alloys, has been embraced and commercialized and recent interest is now focused on joining dissimilar metals. However, a full understanding of the inherent properties of dissimilar joints using the FSW process is required to accommodate the huge demand in industry, including the manufacturing and aerospace industries. Recent developments in joining dissimilar metals of aluminium and its alloys to other metals such as copper, magnesium, steel and titanium have been reviewed and presented. A detailed study on the material characterization on FSW of aluminium and copper is also presented.