Friction and Forge Welding Processes for the Automotive Industry

A multitude of new friction welding processes is available for the automotive industry and many are being commercially exploited. Rotary friction welding is widely used in the manufacture of round parts such as steering columns and drive shafts. The first publications about the use of friction stir welding in car body engineering have been released during the last IBEC conferences [1, 2, 3, 4], and new studies on friction stud welding and linear friction welding are now being proposed. This paper lists some of these processes and their applications in this industrial sector.