INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 25239-1

Second edition
2020-06

Friction stir welding — Aluminium —

Part 1:
Vocabulary
Soudage par friction-malaxage — Aluminium —
Partie 1: Vocabulaire

Reference number
ISO 25239-1:2020(E)

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ISO 25239-1:2020(E)


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Contents Page

Foreword......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... iv
Introduction...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references....................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15

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Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www​.iso​.org/​directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www​.iso​.org/​patents).
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www​.iso​.org/​iso/​foreword​.html.
This document was prepared by IIW, International Institute of Welding, Commission III, Resistance
Welding, Solid State Welding and Allied Joining Process, in collaboration with the European Committee for
Standardization (CEN) Technical Committee CEN/TC 121, Welding and allied processes, in accordance
with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN (Vienna Agreement).
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 25239-1:2011), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— new definitions have been added for joint area deformation, operator, plunge phase, root flaw,
stationary shoulder tool and temperature control;
— definitions of incomplete penetration, multi run welding, production welding test and single run
welding have been deleted.
A list of all parts in the ISO 25239 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www​.iso​.org/​members​.html.

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Introduction
Welding processes are widely used in the fabrication of engineered structures. During the second half
of the twentieth century, fusion welding processes, wherein fusion is obtained by the melting of parent
material and usually a filler metal, dominated the welding of large structures. In 1991, Wayne Thomas
at TWI invented friction stir welding (FSW), which is carried out entirely in the solid phase (no melting).
The increasing use of FSW has created the need for this document in order to ensure that welding is
carried out in the most effective way and that appropriate control is exercised over all aspects of the
operation. This document focuses on the FSW of aluminium because, at the time of publication, the
majority of commercial applications for FSW involved aluminium. Examples include railway carriages,
consumer products, food processing equipment, aerospace structures, and marine vessels.

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Friction stir welding — Aluminium —

Part 1:
Vocabulary

1 Scope
This document defines terms related to friction stir welding.
In this document, the term “aluminium” refers to aluminium and its alloys.

2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/TR 25901 (all parts), Welding and allied processes — Vocabulary

3 Terms and definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO/TR 25901 (all parts) and the
following apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://​w ww​.iso​.org/​obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://​w ww​.electropedia​.org/​
3.1
adjustable tool probe
tool whose probe length, rotation speed and direction of probe rotation are adjustable. Rotation speed
and direction of probe rotation may be different from those of the shoulder during welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 1.

Note 2 to entry: This tool enables joining to be accomplished without creating excessive toe flash at the start and
exit hole.

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Key
1 shoulder 6 probe at required position for welding
2 unwelded workpiece 7 probe moving upward
3 probe a Direction of probe rotation.
4 probe moving downward b Direction of shoulder rotation.
5 welded workpiece c Direction of welding.

Figure 1 — Adjustable tool probe

3.2
advancing side
side of the weld where the direction of tool rotation is the same as the direction of welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 2.

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Key
1 workpiece a Direction of tool rotation.
2 tool NOTE   A clock-wise rotation is shown in this figure.
3 shoulder b Downward motion of tool.
4 probe c Axial force.
5 weld face d Direction of welding.
6 retreating side of weld e Upward motion of tool.
7 advancing side of weld
8 exit hole

Figure 2 — Basic principle of friction stir welding

3.3
axial force
<friction stir welding> force applied to the workpiece along the axis of tool rotation
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 2.

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3.4
bobbin tool
tool with two shoulders separated by a fixed length or an adjustable length probe
Note 1 to entry: The self-reacting bobbin tool allows the shoulders to automatically maintain contact with the
workpiece.

Note 2 to entry: See Figure 3.

3.5
dwell time at end of weld
<friction stir welding> time interval after travel has stopped, but before the rotating tool has begun to
withdraw from the weld
Note 1 to entry: See t5 in Figure 4.

3.6
dwell time at start of weld
<friction stir welding> interval between the end of the plunge phase and the start of travel
Note 1 to entry: See t 3 in Figure 4.

3.7
exit hole
hole remaining at the end of a weld after the withdrawal of the tool
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 2.

a)   Isometric view b)   Side view

Key
1 workpiece 6 lower shoulder
2 upper tool a Direction of tool rotation.
3 upper shoulder b Direction of welding.
4 probe c Force on the upper shoulder.
5 lower tool d Force on the lower shoulder.

Figure 3 — Bobbin tool

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Key
Fa axial force (chain dotted line) 1 start rotation
n rotational speed (dashed line) 2 tool contacts workpiece
t time 3 shoulder contacts workpiece
t1 time where the tool moves toward workpiece 4 start travel
t2 time of plunge phase 5 stop travel
t3 dwell time at start of weld 6 tool retracts from the weld
t4 tool travel time 7 stop rotation
t5 dwell time at end of weld 8 rise in axial force
t6 time where the tool moves away from workpiece 9 constant axial force

NOTE The schematic is representation of the basic process. In general, the individual parameters can vary
during the process.

Figure 4 — Generalized diagram of friction stir welding as shown in Figure 2

3.8
faying surface
surface of one component that is intended to be in contact with a surface of another component to
form a joint
[SOURCE: ISO 17659:2002, 3.4]
3.9
fixed probe
fixed length probe protruding from the shoulder, whose rotation and movement are the same as the
shoulder
3.10
force control
<friction stir welding> method of maintaining the required force on the tool during welding
3.11
joint area deformation
<friction stir welding> deformation produced during welding near the joint at one or both sides of
the weld
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 5.

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Key
h depth of joint area deformation
t thickness

Figure 5 — Joint area deformation

3.12
friction stir welding
FSW
joining process producing a weld by the friction heating and mixing of material in the plastic state
caused by a rotating tool that traverses along the tool path
Note 1 to entry: See Figures 2 and 4.

3.13
heel
<friction stir welding> portion of the tool shoulder at the rear of the tool relative to its forward motion
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 6.

3.14
heel plunge depth
distance the heel extends into the weld metal
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 6.

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a)   Side view of butt joint b)   View in the direction of welding of a tailor

welded blank
Key
1 workpiece b Tool rotation.
2 tool c Tilt angle.
3 heel d Direction of welding.
a Heel plunge depth. e Side tilt angle.

Figure 6 — Side tilt angle, heel, heel plunge depth, and tilt angle

3.15
hook
<friction stir welding> un-bonded and curved faying surfaces on the advancing or retreating side of a
lap weld
Note 1 to entry: The hook can either turn upward or downward. Figure 7 c) shows a hook turning upward.

3.16
lateral offset
<friction stir welding> typically in a butt weld it is the lateral distance from the tool axis to the
faying surface
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 9.

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a)   Before welding b)   During welding c)   After welding

Key
w width 3 retreating side hook (upper workpiece)
t original thickness of the upper workpiece 4 advancing side hook (upper workpiece)
t1 size of the hook on the retreating side 5 tool
t2 size of the hook on the advancing side a Direction of tool rotation.
1 upper workpiece b Direction of welding.
2 lower workpiece c Interface between faying surfaces.

Figure 7 — Cross-section of friction stir lap weld showing hook

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a)   Before welding

b)   After welding

c)   Unbonded joint remnant d)   Bonded joint remnant

Key
1 workpiece
2 weld
a Joint (faying surfaces).

Figure 8 — Cross-section showing example of root flaws in full thickness butt weld

3.17
multiple spindles
friction stir welding system with two or more spindles
3.18
operator
<friction stir welding> person who operates automatic friction stir welding equipment only and has no
direct influence on the welded joint quality
Note 1 to entry: An operator does not require qualification in accordance with ISO 25239-3.

Note 2 to entry: For welding operators, see 3.37.

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3.19
plunge phase
<friction stir welding> tool penetration sequence from probe contact to a programmed value e.g.
penetration depth, axial force
3.20
position control
<friction stir welding> method of maintaining the required position of the tool during welding
3.21
probe
<friction stir welding> part of the tool extending into the parent material to make the weld
Note 1 to entry: The probe can be either fixed or adjustable, see Figures 1, 2, and 10.

3.22
production sample welding test
test of a welded product from production
3.23
retreating side
side of the weld where the direction of tool rotation is opposite to the direction of welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 2.

3.24
root flaw
<friction stir welding> region at the root of the weld with insufficient mixing
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 8.

3.25
shoulder
<friction stir welding> portion of the tool in contact with the surface of the workpiece during welding
Note 1 to entry: The rotational speed and/or rotational direction can differ from that of the probe.

Note 2 to entry: See Figure 10.

3.26
side tilt angle
angle between the centreline of the tool and a line perpendicular to the surface of the work piece,
measured in a plane perpendicular to the direction of welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 6.

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Key
1 workpiece b Direction of welding.
2 tool c Joint (faying surfaces).
3 probe d Lateral offset.
4 weld face e Location of joint before welding.
a Direction of tool rotation. f Tool centreline.

Figure 9 — Lateral offset showing the centreline of the tool not centred on the joint

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Key
1 tool
2 shoulder
3 probe

Figure 10 — Example of a friction stir welding tool

3.27
single spindle
<friction stir welding> friction stir welding system with one spindle
3.28
standard welding test
welding and testing of a standardized test piece in order to qualify a welding operator
3.29
stationary shoulder tool
tool having a shoulder that travels with the probe but does not rotate
3.30
stirred zone
region in the centre of the weld where a fine-grained, equiaxed microstructure exists
3.31
temperature control
<friction stir welding> method of maintaining the required temperature during welding
3.32
tilt angle
<friction stir welding> angle between the centreline of the tool and a line perpendicular to the surface
of the work piece, opposite to the direction of welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 6.

Note 2 to entry: Typical tilt angles are 0° to 5°.

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3.33
toe flash
imperfection consisting of excessive metal protruding above the weld face or material expelled along
the toe during welding
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 11.

Key
1 workpiece
2 toe flash
3 weld face

Figure 11 — Toe flash

3.34
tool
<friction stir welding> component that includes the shoulder and probe
Note 1 to entry: A tool usually has a shoulder and a probe, but a tool can have more than one shoulder or more
than one probe. In addition, a tool may not have a shoulder or a probe.

Note 2 to entry: See Figure 10.

3.35
underfill
depression resulting when the weld face is below the adjacent parent material surface
Note 1 to entry: See Figure 12.

Note 2 to entry: This is a common characteristic of the friction stir welding process.

Key
h depth of underfill
t thickness

Figure 12 — Underfill

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3.36
weld overlap area
WOA
area where a subsequent weld overlaps a portion of a previous weld
Note 1 to entry: A WOA where the end of the weld overlaps the start of the weld is common during pipe welding.

3.37
welding operator
<friction stir welding> person who can perform fully mechanized and automatic friction stir welding
and can have direct influence on the welded joint quality
Note 1 to entry: A welding operator requires qualification in accordance with ISO 25239-3.

3.38
welding procedure specification
WPS
document that provides the qualified welding procedure

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Bibliography

[1] ISO 6520-1, Welding and allied processes — Classification of geometric imperfections in metallic
materials — Part 1: Fusion welding
[2] ISO 10042, Welding — Arc-welded joints in aluminium and its alloys — Quality levels for
imperfections
[3] ISO 15607, Specification and qualification of welding procedures for metallic materials —
General rules
[4] ISO 17637, Non-destructive testing of welds — Visual testing of fusion-welded joints
[5] ISO 17659:2002, Welding — Multilingual terms for welded joints with illustrations
[6] ISO 18785 (all parts), Friction stir spot welding — Aluminium
[7] ISO 25239 (all parts), Friction stir welding — Aluminium

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ICS 01.040.25; 25.160.10

Price group A

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