Critical review on friction stir welding of aluminium to copper

The status quo of aluminium-to-copper joining by friction stir welding (FSW) drastically changed in recent years, as a result of the increased interest of the scientific community on this subject. Actually, since 2006 a large increase in the number of research groups addressing Al–Cu FSW has been witnessed all over the world, together with a significant increase in the amount of published studies. A chronological perspective on the evolution in Al–Cu FSW research is provided in this work, highlighting the pioneer and original contribution of several researchers to the current knowledge on the subject. Detailed and comprehensive investigations on the material flow mechanisms, the phenomena governing the formation and distribution of intermetallic phases during Al–Cu FSW, their relations with the welding parameters and their impact on the morphological, structural and mechanical properties of the welds are thoroughly discussed. The main findings reported in the literature are summarised in thematic tables.