In this episode I am speaking to Bertrand Flipo from The Welding Institute in Cambridge, UK. TWI Ltd has a long history of innovation in welding research, having been established as the British Welding Research Association in 1946. TWI Ltd is a world leader in research on friction welding and has been at the forefront of many modern friction welding processes.

Briefly put, friction welding is a joining technique that does not melt the parts to be joined. Instead, two components are rubbed together to create heat through friction, and high pressure is then applied to squeeze the two pieces together. During this process the material plastically deforms and the high pressure causes the components to be fused together. Advantages of the process are fast joining times, typically on the order of a few seconds; relatively small heat-affected zones; and because friction welding techniques are melt-free, the material's microstructure can be maintained. I personally learned a lot during the recording of this episode, and Bertrand and his colleagues were very gracious to introduce me to the ins and outs of friction welding. So in this episode you will learn about:

the differences between different friction welding techniques

the main advantages of friction welding and the challenges to keep in mind

some of the aerospace applications where friction welding is a game-changer

and much, much more

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This episode is also sponsored by StressEbook.com, which is an online hub for you if you are interested in aerospace stress engineering. StressEbook.com provides world-class engineering services and online courses on the stress analysis of aircraft structures, as well as a free ebook and blog. No matter if you’re a junior or senior structural analyst, stressEbook.com provides you with the skills and know-how to become a champion in your workplace.

Selected Links from the Episode

TWI website

Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding

Friction Stir Welding of Lightweight Vehicles

Linear Friction Welding

Friction Welding of Blisks

Friction Welding of Eclipse 500 Stringers

TWI Youtube channel

Slow Motion of Linear Friction Welding

Refill Friction Stir Spot Welding

Large-scale Friction Stir Welding