Microstructure characterisation of a friction stir welded hemi-cylinder structure using Ti-6Al-4V castings

Meisnar, Martina; Bennett, J. M.; Andrews, D.; Dodds, S.; Freeman, Richard; Bellarosa, R.; Adams, D.S.; Norman, A.F.; Rohr, Thomas; Ghidini, T.

doi:10.1016/j.matchar.2018.11.019

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…To prevent sealant from degassing in space, Marie et al [120] investigated the use of the stationary shoulder FSW (DeltaN FS) as an alternative to mechanical fastening to join the outer aluminum part around the hard metal connector (steel or titanium) [120]. Additionally, in collaboration with Airbus Defence and Space for the manufacturing of Titanium, TWI has investigated propellant tanks using SSFSW technology for low-cost space applications, and the work was supported by The European Space Agency (ESA) [42]. These tanks used to be manufactured using forging with a combination of fusion welding techniques such as electron beam welding and tungsten inert gas welding (TIG), which require extensive machining that can reach up to a 90% reduction in mass.…”

Section: Stationary Shoulder Friction Stir Weldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…FSW's invention was driven by the need to join the high-strength aluminum alloy series 7xxx and 2xxx, known as non-weldable aluminum alloys, using conventional welding techniques [39]. FSW has progressed and is used in many industrial applications such as marine, railway, automotive, and aerospace [2,[40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47]. FSW has been progressively adopted in aerospace applications for welding structures made from high-strength aluminum alloys such as large-volume fuel tanks [45].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched a rocket in 2018, the first to fly with propellant tanks constructed using FSW, and claimed that FSW is a more efficient manufacturing method to improve the productivity and payload capability of the vehicle [18]. In terms of high-softening-temperature materials, although the tool materials still limit the wide industrial applications of the FSW process, it has also progressed in some applications, such as in the use of the cast Ti-6Al-4V in the manufacture of the spacecraft propellant tank, aimed at reducing lead time and costs compared to the routes of conventional manufacturing [42]. FSW has numerous advantages over other solid-state methods of severe plastic deformation with the purpose of bonding or joining, such as accumulative roll bonding [54][55][56].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry: The Current Progress and State-of-the-Art Review

et al. 2023

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The use of the friction stir welding (FSW) process as a relatively new solid-state welding technology in the aerospace industry has pushed forward several developments in different related aspects of this strategic industry. In terms of the FSW process itself, due to the geometric limitations involved in the conventional FSW process, many variants have been required over time to suit the different types of geometries and structures, which has resulted in the development of numerous variants such as refill friction stir spot welding (RFSSW), stationary shoulder friction stir welding (SSFSW), and bobbin tool friction stir welding (BTFSW). In terms of FSW machines, significant development has occurred in the new design and adaptation of the existing machining equipment through the use of their structures or the new and specially designed FSW heads. In terms of the most used materials in the aerospace industry, there has been development of new high strength-to-weight ratios such as the 3rd generation aluminum–lithium alloys that have become successfully weldable by FSW with fewer welding defects and a significant improvement in the weld quality and geometric accuracy. The purpose of this article is to summarize the state of knowledge regarding the application of the FSW process to join materials used in the aerospace industry and to identify gaps in the state of the art. This work describes the fundamental techniques and tools necessary to make soundly welded joints. Typical applications of FSW processes are surveyed, including friction stir spot welding, RFSSW, SSFSW, BTFSW, and underwater FSW. Conclusions and suggestions for future development are proposed.

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Section: Stationary Shoulder Friction Stir Weldingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry: The Current Progress and State-of-the-Art Review

et al. 2023

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“…1. Although this route is reliable, it requires longer lead times and generates significant material wastage [4]. It is a well-established fact that a lot of finished and semi-finished parts are scrapped due to machining-related defects such as surface integrity, deformation, cutting chatter [5], and non-conformances in machining processes that result in heavy material, time, and financial losses to the aerospace industry every year [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward cleaner space explorations: a comparative life cycle assessment of spacecraft propeller tank manufacturing technologies

Kokare,

Moraes,

Fernandes

et al. 2024

Int J Adv Manuf Technol

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The traditional method of manufacturing propellant tanks for rockets and spaceships involves significant amounts of forging, and machining, making it expensive and environmentally unfriendly. A novel approach for manufacturing propellant tanks that reduces the need for machining and friction stir welding processes has been presented in this paper. This approach involves manufacturing a tank half starting from a single metal plate, using innovative and advanced metal forming processes such as hot stretch forming, magnetic pulse forming, hub forming, and integrated stiffened cylinder (ISC) flow forming followed by orbital welding of two tank halves. A life cycle assessment (LCA) study was conducted in accordance with ISO 14044:2006 standard using the ReCiPe 2016 Midpoint (H) method to compare the environmental impacts of the traditional and newly developed approaches for manufacturing propellant tanks. The results of the LCA study showed that the new approach based on advanced forming technologies reduced carbon footprint by 40%, cumulative energy demand by 35%, water footprint by 17%, and materials waste by 4% compared to traditional manufacturing. The lower environmental impact of the new approach was attributed to a decrease in friction stir welding requirements due to the implementation of advanced forming techniques that enable integrated tank production. This lowered the overall energy consumption in the novel approach by a factor of 1.5 and in turn resulted in lower environmental impact compared to traditional forging and machining-based method. Furthermore, a futuristic scenario that involves in-house tank production using the novel approach with minimal transportation of inventories was also simulated. Based on the LCA results, it was seen that the newly developed approach for manufacturing propellant tanks was more environmentally friendly than the traditional approach and its environmental footprint could be further reduced by implementing the futuristic scenario with minimal transportation. This novel approach is also expected to reduce the lead time and production cost of manufacturing a propellant tank. Hence, future efforts in cost assessment and further optimization of raw material and energy usage are recommended.

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“…The welding process realizes the requirements for integration and weight reduction of metal components. The use of laser beam, linear friction, friction stir, and electron beam welding is continuously increasing in the aerospace components [6,7,8,9,10,11]. On the one hand, the electron beam welding (EBW) is used for welding of thick titanium plates due to its high precision, high welding speed, narrow heat-affected zone, and small deformation in welded parts [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Welded Pores on Very Long-Life Fatigue Failure of the Electron Beam Welding Joint of TC17 Titanium Alloy

et al. 2019

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The electron beam welding process is widely used in the connection among titanium alloy material parts of aero-engines. Its mechanical properties need to meet the requirements of long life and high reliability. In this paper, the static strength and the fatigue failure behavior of the electron beam weldments of TC17 titanium alloy were investigated experimentally under low amplitude high frequency (20 kHz), and the mechanical response and failure mechanism under different external loading conditions were analyzed. In summary, the samples were found to have anisotropic microstructure. The tensile strength of the PWHT of TC17 EBW joint was ~4.5% lower than that of the base metal. Meanwhile, compared with the base metal, the fatigue strength was reduced by 45.5% at 109 cycles of fatigue life. The fracture analysis showed that the fatigue failure of the welded joint of TC17 alloy was caused by the welded pores and the fatigue cracks initiated from the welded pores. A fine granular area (FGA) was observed around the crack initiation region. The existence of pores caused the stress intensity factor of the fine granular area (KFGA) to be inversely proportional to the fatigue life. The KFGA calculation formula was modified and the fatigue crack propagation threshold of the welded joint of TC17 alloy was calculated (3.62 MPa·m1/2). Moreover, the influences of the effective size and the relative depth of the pores on the very long fatigue life of the electron beam welded joint of TC17 titanium alloy were discussed.

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Microstructure characterisation of a friction stir welded hemi-cylinder structure using Ti-6Al-4V castings

Cited by 17 publications

References 30 publications

Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry: The Current Progress and State-of-the-Art Review

Friction Stir Welding of Aluminum in the Aerospace Industry: The Current Progress and State-of-the-Art Review

Toward cleaner space explorations: a comparative life cycle assessment of spacecraft propeller tank manufacturing technologies

Influence of Welded Pores on Very Long-Life Fatigue Failure of the Electron Beam Welding Joint of TC17 Titanium Alloy

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