Abstract
In 1991, a game changing technique was introduced
into the metal joining community. Patented in 1991 by The
Welding Institute, the Friction Stir Welding (FSW) process has
since transformed the way metal joining is being done. Since
then, many industries have come to embrace the new joining
technology due to its ease of operation and other numerous
advantages it offers. Aside from the ease with which it is
employed to join similar metals, FSW provides a way of
joining dissimilar metals at the microstructural level without
some of the problems that traditional metal joining
technologies (especially fusion welding) encounter.