| CPC B23K 20/127 (2013.01) [B23K 20/1265 (2013.01); B23K 2101/06 (2018.08); B23K 2101/10 (2018.08); B23K 2103/18 (2018.08)] | 16 Claims |

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1. A method of manufacturing a bimetallic mechanically-lined pipe, wherein the mechanically-lined pipe comprises a liner sleeve within a host pipe and has a bonded inboard region, in which the liner sleeve is bonded mechanically to the host pipe as the result of an interference fit of the liner sleeve within the pipe, and an unbonded outboard region extending longitudinally from the inboard region toward an end of the mechanically lined pipe, the method comprising:
inserting a friction stir welding tool into the mechanically lined pipe;
driving the friction stir welding tool, when spinning about a spin axis, into the liner sleeve to form a thermo mechanically affected zone in which metal of the liner sleeve is bonded with metal of the host pipe; and
effecting relative movement between the spinning friction stir welding tool and the mechanically lined pipe with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the mechanically lined pipe to extend the thermo mechanically affected zone along a weld path in the previously unbonded outboard region.
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