Characterization of Friction Stir Welded (FSW) Al Alloys for Aerospace Applications

This proposal responds to a primary need to understand the shift in FSW behavior when changing the size of the weldment (think big) for various light weight aerospace alloys. NASA currently welds panel-level pieces to optimize their welding processes and full-scale flight-like pieces to assess their manufacturing steps and the welding processes. An extensive sets of welding thermal data, mechanical properties, and macrostructural images are available for both panel-level and full-scale flight-like pieces.

Industry Sponsor: NASA MSFC

Faculty: Claudia Rawn (UTK)

Graduate Students: Ben Wing & Will Parker

Faculty Contact: Jeffrey Sowards and Robert Ding