A method of forming a structure by friction welding, the method comprising: positioning metallic components (204, 212) such that welding surfaces (302, 304) of the metallic components (204, 212) contact each other, wherein a metallic component in the metallic components has a relief feature adjacent to a welding surface for the first metallic component; moving the welding surfaces (302, 304) relative to each other while the welding surfaces (302, 304) are in contact such that solid-state joining of the metallic components (204, 212) at the welding surfaces (302, 304) occurs to form a structure, wherein the relief feature causes a material from at least one of the metallic components to form with respect to the relief feature in a manner that enables performing an additional solid-state joining operation with the structure at a subsequent welding surface on the structure without removing flash wherein the structure comprises a subsequent welding surface (408, 410), and the relief structure is selected from one of a channel or a notch that directs the formation of flash away from subsequent welding surface (408, 410); positioning an additional metallic component relative to the structure such that subsequent welding surface of the additional metallic component and the structure contact each other, moving the subsequent welding surfaces (408, 410, 800) relative to each other while the subsequent welding surfaces (408, 410, 800) are in contact such that solid-state joining of the additional metallic component and the structure occurs, forming a group of holes (1000, 1002, 1004, 1006) in the structure, and machining the flash through the group of holes (1000, 1002, 1004, 1006). positioning metallic components (204, 212) such that welding surfaces (302, 304) of the metallic components (204, 212) contact each other, wherein a metallic component in the metallic components has a relief feature adjacent to a welding surface for the first metallic component; moving the welding surfaces (302, 304) relative to each other while the welding surfaces (302, 304) are in contact such that solid-state joining of the metallic components (204, 212) at the welding surfaces (302, 304) occurs to form a structure, wherein the relief feature causes a material from at least one of the metallic components to form with respect to the relief feature in a manner that enables performing an additional solid-state joining operation with the structure at a subsequent welding surface on the structure without removing flash wherein the structure comprises a subsequent welding surface (408, 410), and the relief structure is selected from one of a channel or a notch that directs the formation of flash away from subsequent welding surface (408, 410); positioning an additional metallic component relative to the structure such that subsequent welding surface of the additional metallic component and the structure contact each other, moving the subsequent welding surfaces (408, 410, 800) relative to each other while the subsequent welding surfaces (408, 410, 800) are in contact such that solid-state joining of the additional metallic component and the structure occurs, forming a group of holes (1000, 1002, 1004, 1006) in the structure, and machining the flash through the group of holes (1000, 1002, 1004, 1006).