A study of texture patterns in friction stir welds

Texture patterns on transverse, longitudinal and horizontal cross-sections in friction stir welds (FSW) have been studied experimentally, and their variations with welding parameters have been analyzed. Numerical simulations of the FSW process have been carried out to understand the texture patterns. Results of this study suggest that the texture patterns are complex but a dominant theme is the appearance of bands, which occur in the advancing-side material. The banded pattern on the transverse cross-section is often in the form of onion rings. The spacing between the bands on the longitudinal and horizontal cross-sections equals the distance traveled by the welding tool in one revolution. The texture patterns are found to correlate well with equivalent plastic strain contours from simulations of the corresponding FSW process, suggesting that the texture patterns may be formed because periodically spaced material regions experience very different levels of plastic deformation during the FSW process. (C) 2007 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.