Dear Colleagues,

Friction stir welding and processing (FSW&P) are solid-phase joining/processing technologies. FSW is arguably the most important welding innovation in the last few decades, and produces joints through local thermal-mechanical processes followed by material recrystallization. Based on the same physical and metallurgical principles, FSP was derived from FSW and can be classified as many technologies, such as friction stir surface treatment, friction stir cladding, friction stir extrusion, friction synthesis, and friction stir additive manufacturing. Because of the solid-phase metallurgical process and material recrystallization, welded/processed materials after FSW&P generally possess equiaxed fine-grain microstructures and excellent mechanical properties. Moreover, FSW can effectively join some materials which were traditionally categorized as having poor weldability by fusion welding. Since the invention of FSW&P in the 1990s, FSW&P have been widely studied with different materials, both conventional and new FSW&P processes have been developed, and FSW&P techniques have been increasingly applied in various industrial sectors, including ship building and offshore structures, airplanes and aerospace, automotive, railway rolling stock, computers and electronics, and fabrication.

This Special Issue intends to collect the newest developments in friction stir welding and processing. Topics addressed in this Special Issue may include, but are not limited to:

• FSW&P technological innovation.
• FSW&P fundamentals.
• FSW&P of similar and dissimilar materials.
• FSW&P development of special materials.
• FSW&P process development.
  • FSW development, including but not limited to linear FSW, friction stir spot welding, self-reacting FSW, high-speed FSW, etc.
  • FSP development, including friction stir surface treatment, friction stir cladding, friction stir extrusion, friction stir additive manufacturing, friction stir synthesis, and any other innovative metallurgical process utilizing the same thermal-mechanical principles as FSW.
• FSW&P residual stresses and distortion control.
• FSW&P materials microstructure characterization.
• FSW&P materials properties evaluation, which include but are not limited to mechanical properties, fracture toughness, fatigue, and corrosion resistance.
• FSW&P industrial applications.

Dr. Wei Tang
Guest Editor

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• friction stir welding
• friction stir processing
• fundamental
• materials
• process development
• microstructure
• properties
• industrial applications