Thermo-mechanical Analysis of Friction Stir Welding: A Review on Recent Advances

In recent studies, critical research interest exists in the thermo-mechanical analysis of the friction stir welding (FSW) process by numerical simulation. In this review, the thermo-mechanical analysis for FSW is overviewed regarding the computational approaches, the heat generation, the temperature, and the material flow behavior. Current concerns, challenges, and opportunities in current studies are discussed considering the application of the thermo-mechanical analysis. Generally, larger computational scale and better computational efficiency are required to allow better spatial resolution in future analysis. The concepts and approaches demonstrated in the thermo-mechanical analysis for FSW open up quantitative prospects for the design of the FSW process.