The present patent involves a new design for the fabrication of T-joints using friction stir welding, which is less prone to welding defects, and produces strong joints without the need for additional machining before and/or after the friction stir welding operation.
Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process developed and patented by W. Thomas at The Welding Institute in 1992.This process has a high industrial interest with several advantages compared to traditional welding processes. This process is suitable for welding different types of materials including welds with dissimilar materials. Friction stir welding T-joints are commonly used in structures, for example to reinforce plates or shells.
The present innovation involves a new design for the fabrication of T-joints using friction stir welding, which is less prone to welding defects, and produces strong joints without the need for additional machining before and/or after the friction stir welding operation. This patent takes into account several new geometry definitions to produce T-joints with FSW, which could improve the mechanical characteristics and the process productivity.
This patent could be of interest for all industries that use reinforced plates in aluminium, steel, magnesium and other materials. In particular, it could be of interest for those industries intending to use multimaterial T-joints in order to improve and optimize the application of the reinforcement.
