Friction stir spot welded joints of 409L stainless steels fabricated by a convex shoulder tool

Spot joints of ferritic 409L stainless steel are successfully fabricated by friction stir spot welding (FSSW) using a convex shoulder tool. The welding process, microstructure and failure of the FSSW joint are investigated experimentally. During the FSSW process, the Z-force history shows significant variations depending on the contact phenomena between the tool and the joined sheets, while the Z-torque history shows a rather steady increase without pronounced changes in the trend until the initiation of dwelling. Electron back-scatter diffraction suggests that both continuous dynamic recrystallization and recovery occurred in the stir zone during the FSSW process. Observation of the FSSW joint that failed under the given lap shear load shows that the cracks, which are the result of the interfaces between the upper and lower sheets, propagated into the weld along the interfacial surfaces, after which a necking/shear failure occurred. Finally, the rupture of the joint, which was initiated by the necking/shear failure, propagated along the circumference of the weld.