New developments in the Friction Stir Welding of steel in air and underwater.

This is a Sheffield Branch event organised and run by our Sheffield Branch for its members. Other members and non-members are welcome to join us.

Overview: TWI’s 3-year RESURGAM project for friction stir welding (FSW) steel has been completed and the speaker will present content which is only now able to be publicised. Highlights are being able to weld steel up to 25mm thick and to do so in air and under water – an output of the project was a prototype ROV that can weld patches to damaged ships without them needing to go into dry dock.

Welding steel has long been something of a Holy Grail in the FSW community. The process was invented by Wayne Thomas at TWI for the joining of aluminium in 1991 and quickly adopted by industry for the fabrication of structures where the high strength, toughness, good fatigue life and low distortion produced by the process were required. The technique was soon further developed for the welding of other difficult to weld metals such as magnesium, copper and titanium. FSW of steel, however, remained elusive. For many years TWI has been working to industrialise the process in steel and has now reached the stage where it is possible to weld both carbon and stainless steels in lengths up to 30m in 12mm thick metal using a single pass process or 25mm thick using a double pass process. Welding takes place in the transformation temperature regimen and it is possible, by careful choice of the welding parameters, to produce welds that are stronger, tougher and more fatigue resistant than the original parent metal, and with low distortion and good corrosion resistance. Welds have been made in air, under water and under oil, all with excellent properties. 

Speaker:  Steve Cater FRIN MEI ARINA AWeldI

Speaker Biography: Stephen Cater is a Principal Project Leader at TWI’s Yorkshire Technology Centre, responsible for research into the friction stir welding (FSW) of both thick section light metal alloys such as aluminium and magnesium, and high plasticisation point materials such as steel, titanium and nickel based alloys. A metallurgist by training, and winner of the Richard Weck Award for his work on steel, Stephen led TWI’s Core Research Programme (CRP) into the development of FSW for steel, and also led the welding elements of two recent projects looking at FSW for marine construction. These programmes were HILDA (High Integrity Low Distortion Assembly) and MOSAIC (Materials Onboard: Steel Advancements and Integrated Composites). Stephen is currently leading the effort for the marinisation of FSW of steel for the RESURGAM research project. Prior to joining TWI, Stephen served as a soldier with experience of both combat tours and technical attachments to DSTL (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory)

Continuing Professional Development (CPD): Attending this event supports your professional development.  You can claim 2 CPD points per hour for this event.  As a member of the Welding Institute you can record your CPD activity online from your membership portal.

Additional Information:

• Sandwich Buffet served from 17:30
• Registration for this event will close 48 hours before the start.
• Live event only
• Registration details maybe shared with our Branch volunteers to help run the event.