FRICTION STIR WELDS OF HSLA STEEL PANELS FOR SHIPYARD APPLICATIONS

摘要

A significant milestone toward the successful application of friction stir welding of large steels panels has been achieved. A full-scale FSW demonstration in a shipyard production facility was successfully completed. 2.4 m wide by 17 m long panels of 6 mm thick HSLA steel were FSW together using PCBN FSW tooling. Successful completion of this effort demonstrated: 1) the capability of FSW to perform in a production facility for steel, 2) there is no measureable distortion in large FSW steel panels. This production demonstration also provided data for a cost comparison with regards to conventional fusion welding practices. This paper summarizes the equipment, fixturing, and tooling requirements for successful implementation of FSW steels in a large-scale production environment.