Composite fabrication using friction stir processing—a review

Composite manufacturing is one of the most imperative advances in the history of materials. Nanoparticles have been attracting increasing attention in the composite community because of their capability of improving the mechanical and physical properties of traditional fiber-reinforced composites. Friction stir processing (FSP) has successfully evolved as an alternative technique of fabricating metal matrix composites. The FSP technology has recently shown a significant presence in generation of ex situ and in situ nanocomposites. This review article essentially describes the current status of the FSP technology in the field of composite fabrication with the main impetus on aluminum and magnesium alloys.