Quantifying crystallographic texture in the probe-dominated region of thick-section friction-stir-welded aluminium

A methodology is described to examine crystallographic textures in friction stir welds with respect to shear flow lines generated by a probe tool. For welds where deformation is dominated by the probe the textures are shown to be almost entirely the simple shear B/B¯ and C components, with the B/B¯ in alternating bands across the whole weld. This suggests that the shear generated by the rotating probe is the dominant mechanism influencing microstructure/texture, with the tool forward motion having less influence.