A Review on the Influence of Cooling Applications in Friction Stir Welding Process

Abstract

Welding, despite being the most efficient joining process, has significant negative impact on the environment and worker health. This paper presents the environmental impact of various conventional welding processes and sustainability of Friction Stir Welding–a Green technology which requires no filler material, no shielding gas, no flux and involves no gas emissions. It is an energy-efficient process that saves significant amount of power and energy when compared to conventional welding processes. The defect-free welds produced have better mechanical and metallurgical properties than other processes. The higher temperature distributed due to the friction heat is established as the source of weld failure. Cooling the weld joint controls the heat conduction thus further enhancing the weld properties. This review paper explores the different cooling techniques employed for cooling the joint during Friction Stir Welding process. The changes in temperature distribution and microstructure caused by the cooling applied and the consequential transformation in material flow, tensile strength, hardness, corrosion, wear, residual stress are discussed. The changes in weld properties obtained by using different cooling media on different materials are reviewed.