The process of Friction Welding has been utilized in the United States and Europe for over 50 years. Although well known to some, in general it has been a very well kept secret. Once people completely understand the process, its benefits quickly become evident.
Definition
Friction welding is a "solid-state joint process that produces coalescence of materials under compressive force contact of workpieces rotating or moving relative to one another to produce heat and plastically displace material from the faying surfaces"(1). The friction welding machine
controls this rubbing through a series of unique parameters
for rotational speed (rpm’s), axial force, and time. Once
these parameters are established, they are recorded, stored,
and then repeated with each cycle of the machine.
Initially, parts are loaded into the welder: one is placed in a rotating spindle and the other is positioned in a stationary clamp. The process
can be described best in the three stages as follows: |
