AWS D17.3/D17.3M:2010

An American National Standard

Specification for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications

AWS D17.3/D17.3M:2010

An American National Standard

Approved by the American National Standards Institute

July 1, 2009

Specification for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications

1st Edition

Prepared by the American Welding Society (AWS) D17 Committee on Welding in

the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries

Under the Direction of the AWS Technical Activities Committee

Approved by the AWS Board of Directors

Abstract

This specification covers the general requirements for the friction stir welding of aluminum alloys for aerospace applications. It includes the requirements for weldment design, qualification of personnel and procedures, fabrication, and inspection.

International Standard Book Number: 978-0-87171-758-0

American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126

© 2009 by American Welding Society.

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All standards (codes, specifications, recommended practices, methods, classifications, and guides) of the American Welding Society are voluntary consensus standards that have been developed in accordance with the rules of the American National Standards Institute. When AWS American National Standard standards are either incorporated in, or made part of, documents that are included in federal or state laws and regulations, or the regulations of other governmen- tal bodies, their provisions carry the full legal authority of the statute. In such cases, any changes in those AWS standards must be approved by the governmental body having statutory jurisdiction before they can become a part of those laws and regulations. In all cases, these standards carry the full legal authority of the contract or other document that invokes the AWS standards. Where this contractual relationship exists, changes in or deviations from requirements of an AWS standard must be by agreement between the contracting parties.

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Finally, AWS does not monitor, police, or enforce compliance with this standard, nor does it have the power to do so.

On occasion, text, tables, or figures are printed incorrectly, constituting errata. Such errata, when discovered are posted on the AWS web page (www.aws.org).

Official interpretations of any of the technical requirements of this standard may be obtained by sending a request, in writing, to the Managing Director Technical Services, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126 (see Annex E). With regard to technical inquiries made concerning AWS standards, oral opinions on AWS standards may be rendered. However, such opinions represent only the personal opinions of the particular individuals giving them. These individuals do not speak on behalf of AWS, nor do these oral opinions constitute official or unofficial opinions or interpretations of AWS. In addition, oral opinions are informal and should not be used as a substitute for an official interpretation.

This standard is subject to revision at any time by the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries. It must be reviewed every 5 years and if not revised, it must be either reapproved or withdrawn. Comments (recommendations, additions, or deletions) and any pertinent data that may be of use in improving this standard are requested and should be addressed to AWS Headquarters. Such comments will receive careful consideration by the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries and the author of the comments will be informed of the Committee’s response to the comments. Guests are invited to attend all meetings of the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries to express their comments verbally. Procedures for appeal of an adverse decision concerning all such comments are provided in the Rules of Operation of the Technical Activities Committee. A copy of these Rules can be obtained from the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

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Personnel

AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries

R. B. Maust, III, Chair Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

E. C. Helder, 1st Vice Chair GE Aircraft Engines (Retired)

G. W. Coleman, 2nd Vice Chair The Boeing Company

R. Starks, Secretary American Welding Society

J. T. Amin Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

R. Beil Northrop Grumman Corporation

P. J. Cecil The Boeing Company

W. Collier Delta Airlines Technical Operations

P. Daum Rolls Royce Corporation

H. S. Dilcher, III Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

R. J. Ding NASA – Marshall Space Flight Center

R. J. Durda Spirit AeroSystems

J. Fournier Pratt & Whitney Canada

J. B. Jackson NASA – Glenn Research Center

D. Lindland Pratt & Whitney

S. H. Murray NASA – Kennedy Space Center

D. S. Ponder Triumph Airborne Structures

1. K. Russell NASA – Marshall Space Flight Center

   1. E. Sapp NAVAIR In-Service Support Center – Cherry Point

      1. Sauer NAVAIR In-Service Support Center – Cherry Point

      2. Senatore Wulco, Incorporated

T. Trapp GE Aircraft Engines

J. G. Vollmer The Boeing Company

M. E. Webber Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

B. D. Wright Advantage Aviation Technologies

Advisors to the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries

D. E. Bell The Boeing Company

H. D. Bushfield Bushfield Associates

R. Freeman TWI – The Welding Institute

1. P. Garrison Pratt & Whitney

   1. Guinasso The Boeing Company

I. D. Harris Edison Welding Institute

E. M. Lorence Aircraft Welding & Manufacturing Company

G. Loy – Kraft Oklahoma Air Logistics Center, Tinker AFB

1. J. Lucas, Jr. Belcan Corporation

   1. Openshaw Atlantic Research Corporation

G. J. Stahle ATK Launch Systems

AWS D17J Subcommittee on Friction Stir Welding

D. R. Bolser, Chair The Boeing Company

R. J. Ding, Vice Chair NASA – Marshall Space Flight Center

M. Rubin, Secretary American Welding Society

G. W. Coleman The Boeing Company

D. G. Kinchen Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems

1. S. Sanderson Kaiser Aluminum Corporation

   1. Stol Aluminum Company of America

T. Stotler EWI – Edison Welding Institute

G. D. Sylva Spirit AeroSystems

J. G. Vollmer The Boeing Company

D. Waldron Advanced Joining Technologies

Advisors to the AWS D17J Subcommittee on Friction Stir Welding

H. Bushfield Bushfield Associates

R. B. Maust, III Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems

Foreword

This foreword is not part of AWS D17.3/D17.3M:2010, Specification for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications, but is included for informational purposes only.

In the fall of 1993, aerospace welding personnel gathered together under the auspices of the American Welding Society (AWS) to develop an aerospace fusion welding specification to replace MIL-STD-1595A, Qualification of Aircraft, Missile, and Aerospace Fusion Welders, and MIL-STD-2219, Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications. The result of this initial meeting was the formation of the AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries. The overriding theme voiced by the committee members was that the aviation industry had changed and a new specifica- tion was needed. In 2001, after years of hard work by the committee members, the American Welding Society issued AWS D17.1:2001, Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications.

Specifications used for aerospace welding deal primarily with fusion welding, except for the relatively few that deal with friction welding. Fusion welding is used to produce the vast majority of large, structural, welded components, as opposed to friction welding, which usually is used to join smaller, circular cross-section detail parts. In 1991, The Welding Institute, in England, patented a new welding process called Friction Stir Welding (FSW). The question soon arose as to which requirements were necessary to specify and control this new welding process. Fusion welding specifications could not adequately address FSW because it is a solid-state welding process. Friction welding specifications also could not adequately address FSW process because unlike friction welding, FSW process uses a third body, the welding tool.

The AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries determined that it was necessary to form a subcommittee to write a specification for friction stir welding. It was appropriate that the setting for the subcommittee’s kickoff meeting was at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Kennedy Space Center is where the first friction stir welded commercial aerospace component, the fuel tank for the Delta launch vehicle, went into service. Representatives from industry, welding institutes, government agencies and universities met to dedicate themselves to form a specification for the friction stir welding of aluminum for aerospace applications. AWS D17.1:2001, Specification for Fusion Welding for Aerospace Applications served as the model for this specification.

Comments and suggestions for the improvement of this standard are welcome. They should be sent to the Secretary AWS D17 Committee on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries, American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126.

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Table of Contents

Page No.

Personnel v

Foreword vii

List of Tables xi

List of Figures xi

1. Scope 1

   1. Units of Measure 1

   2. Health and Safety 1

2. Normative References 1

3. Terms and Definitions 2

4. General Requirements 7

   1. Classification 7

   2. Approval 8

   3. Drawing Precedence 8

   4. Specification Precedence 8

5. Design of Weld Joints 8

   1. Weldment Design Data 8

   2. Drawing Information Requirements 9

6. Development and Qualification of a Welding Procedure 9

   1. General 9

   2. Selection of a Welding Procedure Qualification Method 10

   3. Preparation of a Preliminary Welding Procedure Specification (pWPS) 11

   4. Welding 12

   5. Evaluation of Test Welds 12

   6. Welding Procedure Qualification Record (WPQR) 13

   7. Welding Procedure Qualification Variables 14

   8. Welding Procedure Specification (WPS) 17

   9. Revising a WPQR or WPS 17

7. Welding Operator Qualification 17

   1. Qualification Requirements 17

   2. Qualification Limitations 18

   3. Qualification/Certification Validity 20

   4. Test Records 20

8. Fabrication 21

   1. Welding Equipment Requirements 21

   2. Friction Stir Welding Tool 21

   3. Preweld Joint Preparation and Fit-Up 21

   4. Preheat Temperature Control 21

   5. Tack Welds 21

   6. Welding 21

   7. Postweld Surface Preparation 21

   8. Weld Identification Requirements 21

   9. Acceptance Inspection 22

9. Inspection 22

   1. General 22

   2. Inspection Personnel 22

   3. Visual Weld Inspection 22

   4. Nondestructive Testing 22

   5. Acceptance Criteria 22

Annex A (Normative)—Illustrations of Test Specimens and Test Fixtures 25

Annex B (Informative)—Example of a Welding Operator Qualification Test Record Form 29

Annex C (Informative)—Examples of Welding Procedure Specification Forms 31

Annex D (Informative)—Examples of Welding Procedure Qualification Record Forms 33

Annex E (Informative)—Guidelines for the Preparation of Technical Inquiries 39

List of AWS Documents on Welding in the Aircraft and Aerospace Industries 41

List of Tables

Table Page No.

1. Sequence for Qualifying a Welding Procedure Specification 9

2. Methods for Qualifying a Welding Procedure 11

3. Destructive Tests Required for Qualifying a Welding Procedure 12

4. Efficiency Requirements for Welded Butt Joint Tensile Strength 17

9.1 Acceptance Levels for Discontinuities 23

List of Figures

Figure Page No.

1. Friction Stir Welding Nomenclature 2

2. Angular Distortion of the Joint 3

3. Cavity 3

4. Flash 4

5. Heel and Heel Plunge Depth 4

6. Hook 5

7. Incomplete Joint Penetration 5

8. Linear Mismatch Across Joint 6

9. Tool Offset 7

10. Components of Tool 8

1. Flow Diagram for the Development and Qualification of a Welding Procedure 10

2. Location of Square Groove Weld Test Specimens—Pipe 13

3. Location of Square Groove Weld Test Specimens—Plate 14

4. Location of Fillet Weld Test Specimens—Plate 15

5. Location of Seam Weld Test Specimens—Plate 16

1. Seam Weld Test in Plate 18

2. Square Groove Weld Test in Pipe 19

3. Square Groove Weld Test in Plate 19

4. Seam Weld Test in Pipe 20

1. Reduced Section Tension Specimen—Rectangular 25

2. Reduced Section Tension Specimen—Round 26

3. Alternate Tension Specimen for Pipe 3 in [76 mm] O.D. or Less 26

4. Alternate Tension Specimen for Pipe 2 in [51 mm] O.D. or Less 27

B.1 Example of a Welding Operator Qualification Test Record Form 29

1. Example of a Preliminary Welding Procedure Specification Form 31

2. Example of a Welding Procedure Specification Form 32

1. Example Number One of a Welding Procedure Qualification Record Form 33

2. Example Number Two of a Welding Procedure Qualification Record Form 35

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Specification for Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum Alloys for Aerospace Applications

1. Scope

   This specification contains the requirements for designing, friction stir welding, and inspecting aluminum aerospace hardware. Friction stir welding (FSW) produces a weld between two abutting workpieces by the friction heating and plas- tic material displacement caused by a rotating tool that traverses along the weld joint.

   1. Units of Measure. This standard makes use of both U.S. Customary Units and the International System of Units (SI). The latter are shown within brackets [ ] or in appropriate columns in tables and figures. The measurements may not be the exact equivalents; therefore, each system shall be used independently. Consult AWS A1.1, Metric Practice Guide for the Welding Industry, for additional information.

   2. Health and Safety. Safety and health issues and concerns are beyond the scope of this standard and therefore are not fully addressed herein. Safety and health information is available from other sources, including, but not limited to, ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

      
      

2. Normative References

The following standards contain provisions, which through reference in this AWS Standard constitute mandatory provi- sions of this AWS Standard. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.

AIA/NAS document:1

NAS 410, NAS Certification & Qualification of Nondestructive Test Personnel.

ANSI document:2

ANSI Z49.1, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes.

ASTM documents:3

ASTM B881-D5, Standard Terminology Relating to Aluminum- and Magnesium-Alloy Products

ASTM E 164, Standard Practice for Ultrasonic Contact Examination of Weldments;

ASTM E 1417, Standard Practice for Liquid Penetrant Examination;

ASTM E 1742, Standard Practice for Radiographic Examination.

AWS documents:4

AWS A1.1, Metric Practice Guide for the Welding Industry;

AWS A2.4, Standard Symbols for Welding, Brazing and Nondestructive Examination;

AWS A3.0, Standard Welding Terms and Definitions;

AWS B5.1, Specification for the Qualification of Welding Inspectors;

AWS QC1, Standard for AWS Certification of Welding Inspectors.

1 AIA/NAS standards are published by the Aerospace Industries Association, 1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-3928.

2 ANSI standards are published by the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Rd, Miami, FL 33126.

3 ASTM standards are published by the American Society for Testing and Materials, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428.

4 AWS documents are published by the American Welding Society, 550 N.W. LeJeune Rd, Miami, FL 33126.