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Review
. 2021 Jun 23;13(13):2056.
doi: 10.3390/polym13132056.

Effect of Friction Stir Welding Techniques and Parameters on Polymers Joint Efficiency-A Critical Review

Miguel A R Pereira  1 , Ana M Amaro  1 , Paulo N B Reis  1 , Altino Loureiro  1
Affiliations
Review

Effect of Friction Stir Welding Techniques and Parameters on Polymers Joint Efficiency-A Critical Review

Miguel A R Pereira et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The objective of current work is to analyse the influence of different welding techniques and welding parameters on the morphology and mechanical strength of friction stir welds (FSW) in polymers, based on data collected in the literature. In the current work, only articles that provide data on the joint efficiency, or sufficient information to estimate it are considered. The process using conventional tool is presented and compared with new procedures developed for FSW of polymers, such as those using tools with heated stationary shoulder, preheating of the polymer or double-side passage of the tool. The influence of tool rotational speed (w), welding speed (v), tilt angle and geometry of the pin are discussed. This work focuses on the polymers most studied in the literature, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP). The use of external heating and tools with stationary shoulder proved to be of great importance in improving the surface finish, reducing defects, and increasing the mechanical strength of the welds. The increase in the w/v ratio increased the joint efficiency, especially when using conventional tools on PE. A trend was obtained for conventional FSW, but it was difficult to establish mathematical relationships, because of the variability of welding conditions.

Keywords: double-side passage; external heating; friction stir welding (FSW); joint efficiency; polymeric materials; stationary shoulder.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of the FSW process in (a) isometric view and (b) section view.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) FSW tool with stationary shoulder, with external heating (adapted from [31]) and (b) FSW tool with stationary shoulder, without external heating (adapted from [26]).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effect of the w/v ratio on the joint efficiency of FSWs in PE.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effect of the w/v ratio on the joint efficiency of FSWs in PP.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of pin geometry on the joint efficiency for conventional FSW of PP plates.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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