Static Properties of “Refill” Friction Spot Welded Skin Stiffened Compression Panels

Friction stir welding (FSW) has been successfully used to fabricate skin stiffened compression panels. The “Refill” Friction Spot Welding (RFSW) process also shows promise for fabrication of such panels. Spot welds can be made using the “fixed position refill” method in a lap weld configuration where a spot of plasticized metal is developed at the location of pin penetration into the work piece. This paper presents the preliminary findings of the structural performance of a RFSW skin stiffened compression panel. The panel was fabricated with 2024 aluminum sheet and a single T-shaped stiffener. Spot welds were made between the skin and the stiffener to form the panel. The study revealed that RFSW can be successfully used to fabricate skin stiffened panels. The compressive strength of the test specimen was found to be within 10% of that predicted for a riveted skin stiffened panel of identical dimensions.