COURSE OVERVIEW

Friction stir welding (FSW) was invented by TWI, Cambridge, UK and patented in 1991. In the last twenty years, the research community has made significant advances in understanding of the process, and numerous industrial applications have been taken to full implementation. During the same period, friction stir processing (FSP) has been developed in parallel with FSW, and essentially employs FSW tooling to perform local thermomechanical treatments rather than to make joints.

The scientific and technical literature is rich with information on joining of aluminum, steel, titanium, magnesium, metal matrix composites, and even superalloys as well as generic information on process fundamentals. The goal of this course is to provide participants with the essence of the accumulated FSW/FSP knowledge: both fundamental and practical. This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the process and the linkage to performance by introducing aspects from basic process design, controls, tools, and metallurgical aspects.

INSTRUCTORS

Tony Reynolds is a chaired, full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Carolina (USC). Reynolds obtained his Ph.D. in materials science from the University of Virginia in 1990. Since 1998, his research group has been working in the areas of friction stir welding and processing (FSW/P). Since 2004, Reynolds has been the site director at USC for a multi-university NSF I/UCRC, The Center for Friction Stir Processing. Reynolds’ group has published more than 70 ISI articles on FSW/P, which have garnered more than 4,000 citations. Emphases of the group’s research include FSW process development for aluminum alloys, steels, and titanium, as well as characterization of weld performance and process simulation. The group is also currently investigating other friction-based, solid-state, materials processing techniques. In addition to his academic research, Reynolds has also served as a consultant to SKB (The Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Company) for their FSW process development for sealing of copper nuclear waste containers.

Yuri Hovanski is a research engineer at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. He earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering at Brigham Young University, and then completed his M.S. in mechanical engineering at Washington State University. He is a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, and actively participates in the American Welding Society (AWS) and TMS, serving on the forming and shaping, as well as joining, committees. Hovanski has participated in friction stir related research for more than a decade investigating weld formability, abnormal grain growth, and the influence of post-weld microstructure and texture on mechanical properties. More recently, he has focused on the development of low-cost solutions for friction stir welding, introducing cost-efficient solutions for thermal telemetry, new tool materials and production techniques for friction stir spot welding tooling, and utilizing thermo-hydrogen processing to aid friction stir welding of titanium alloys. He continues this effort, furthering the capability of friction stir spot welding in a variety of advanced high-strength steel alloys, and recently introducing scribed tooling that enables lap welding of highly dissimilar materials. Hovanski actively reviews friction stir related literature for several publications and has documented his work in more than 25 publications.

COURSE OUTLINE

TENTATIVE AGENDA
Session 1 (9:00 a.m.-Noon)

• Overview of friction stir welding and examples of adoptions; highlights and issues - 20 minutes
• Fundamentals of the friction stir process- part I; process parameters - 45 minutes
• Break- 15 minutes
• Fundamental of friction stir process- part II; material flow and microstructural evolution - 45 minutes
• Break- 15 minutes
• Fundamental of friction stir process- part III; history of tool development - 40 minutes

Lunch Break (Noon-1:00 p.m.)

Session 2 (1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.)

• Weld configurations and tool selection; gaps and mismatches - 40 minutes
• Low Temperature Metals - 55 minutes
• Break- 15 minutes
• High Temperature materials - 55 minutes
• Break -15 minutes
• Derivative Technologies - 30 minutes
• Discussion- 30 minutes

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Register for the Friction Stir Welding and Processing Short Course through the TMS 2015 Annual Meeting & Exhibition registration form.

REGISTRATION FEES *
Before February 9, 2015

• Member $525
• Nonmember $575
• Student $300

After February 9, 2015

• Member $600
• Nonmember $650
• Student $350