J. Tiley, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson, AFB, OH

Summary:

There are many Friction Stir Welding (FSW) projects currently underway within the Air Force Research Laboratory including efforts with the Metals Affordability Initiative and the Center for Advanced Manufacturing Technology. These programs aim at developing friction stir welding and processing capabilities and transferring the technologies to the aerospace manufacturing community. Of particular interest are activities related to corrosion protection, non-destructive evaluation, tool wear, defect generation, system optimization, and the development of an industry level specification to address the use of these processes. Results from the ongoing projects including recent developments in the certification of FSW components will be presented along with an overview of potential future applications.