Abstract: A friction stir welding (FSW) travel axis load control method and apparatus for controlling a travel axis load applied to a FSW setup during the joining of workpieces by FSW. The method and apparatus recognize that controlling certain attributes of a friction stir welding plasticized region are key to controlling the quality of the resulting weld. This invention controls any of a number of qualities associated with the plasticized region thereby producing welds having improved mechanical and aesthetic properties, as well as extending the life of the FSW tool. The method and apparatus may control the FSW process to obtain a predetermined optimum size of a heat affected zone. The plasticized region may be monitored in a number of ways including, but not limited to, force on the tool, torque applied to the tool, workpiece temperature, plasticized region physical dimension, as well as changing surface characteristics such as color and reflectivity.

Abstract: A method for repairing defects in a substrate including the steps of placing a consumable filler slug in contact with the substrate in the vicinity of the defect; placing at least one electrically conductive cover sheet in contact with a portion of the consumable filler slug; bringing a first electrode and a second electrode in contact with the at least one cover sheet and applying a force; and transmitting electrical current between the electrodes, thereby resistively heating the at least one cover sheet and conductively heating the consumable slug and a portion of the substrate resulting in coalescence in a substantially liquid pool that fills the defect. The pool is then cooled to solidification under pressure. Alternative embodiments eliminate the need for the conductive cover sheet(s) by utilizing electrodes having increased electrical and thermal resistance. The consumable slug may be formed as a single unit or multiple sections, and may incorporate sacrificial retainers.

Abstract: A method for repairing defects in a metallic substrate including the steps of placing a consumable filler slug in contact with the substrate in the vicinity of the defect; bringing a first electrode and a second electrode in contact with the consumable slug and applying a pressure to the consumable slug; and transmitting electrical current between the electrodes for a period, thereby resistively heating the consumable slug and the metallic substrate resulting in coalescence in a substantially liquid pool that fills the defect. The pool is then cooled to solidification under the pressure of the electrodes. The electrodes are then removed from contact with the consumable slug and excess material may be removed. The consumable slug may be formed as a single unit or multiple sections, and may incorporate sacrificial retainers to add additional defect filling material, retain the pool, and seal the pool from atmosphere.

Abstract: An intersecting structural member, and a method for assembling the same, allowing continuous structural members to intersect while also allowing one edge of each of the structural members to be bonded to a skin panel. A first structural member is provided with at least one bendable tab that allows an ingress area in the first member to be opened to permit the passage of a second structural member. The at least one bendable tab may optionally be designed in various shapes, with or without material reducing regions, may then be closed, interlocking the members and producing the intersecting structural member. This structure and method may be used to eliminate the need for welding collars around the member intersections, reducing labor, materials, weight, complexity of joining, and improving resistance to metal fatigue at the intersections.

Abstract: An improved method of weldbonding utilizing inclusion bodies, placed directly between materials to be bonded or included in a weldbonding adhesive. The inclusion bodies maintain a gap between the materials to be welded which provides a gas releasing egress route to disperse the gas and gaseous byproducts produced during welding. This egress route substantially prevents the gases and gaseous byproducts from being expelled through the weld pool and the resultant degradation of the quality of the weld pool, particularly with coated materials, partial penetration welds, and such materials as 6000 series aluminum. The method further comprises an optional step of including a crack-reducing additive, applied either directly to the materials to be welded or included in the adhesive. A laser weldbonding embodiment may use a plurality of phased heat cycles to reduce weld imperfections, and enhance the effects of the adhesive and optional crack-reducing additive.

Abstract: An adaptive and synergic fill welding method and apparatus enables automatic, or adaptive fill, and user directed, or synergic fill, modes to provide improved fusion quality, by ensuring that base metal dilution of a weld remains within a predetermined range. The apparatus includes a means for profiling and tracking a joint, and multi-part adjustable welding means. In adaptive fill mode the method automatically varies a plurality of welding parameters in response to measured variations such as joint width between work pieces. In synergic fill mode, the method enables a user to vary multiple welding parameters in response to joint variations by adjusting a single variable, a synergic fill number, which may be controlled by means of a user interface pendent. The multiple welding parameters may include predetermined wire feed speed, torch travel speed, welding voltage and current, torch oscillation width, dwell time, and a plurality of bead size parameters.

Abstract: A method of welding titanium, and titanium based alloys, to ferrous metals is described. Welding of titanium, and titanium based alloys, is plagued with poor quality and highly brittle welds, substantially due to formation of Ti—Fe intermetallics in the weld pool. The instant invention provides supplementary filler material to alter the proportions of various elements in the weld pool. Certain fillers, such as nickel or iron, added to the weld pool enable high quality welds to be fabricated utilizing a wide variety of fusion welding techniques, including laser welding, between titanium, or titanium based alloys, and ferrous metals, including but not limited to the welding of nickel-titanium and stainless steel. Filler material may be supplied in various forms, including foil, wire, powders, preformed gaskets, and numerous others. Optionally, the titanium or titanium based alloy may be stress relieved to achieve full recovery of the shape memory strain prior to welding.

Abstract: A non-destructive plastic butt weld inspection method in which the weld bead 42 is removed from an exterior surface of a weld zone region 44 of a butt weld and the weld zone region 44 is heated to a temperature sufficient to visualize the weld zone 44. After heating, defective joints are readily identified by the appearance of a bond line 40 in the weld zone 44 while satisfactory joints merely show the weld zone 44 with no evidence of a bond line 40. Surface irregularities such as ridges 46 and indentations 48 may also form in the weld zone during the heating step.

Abstract: A method to minimize the distortion, such as buckling, caused in the welding of thin plate by utilizing transient thermal tensioning to induce areas of residual tensile stress. Distortion of such welded plates after stiffeners are welded to the plates is due to large areas of unsupported residual compressive stress following the tensile stress that is induced along the weld lines by the welding of the stiffeners. Application of transient thermal tensioning by moving heat sources at the time of welding of the stiffeners induces areas of residual tensile stress that minimize the tendency of the plates to buckle. Multiple heat sources of variable intensity may be utilized, and multiple stiffeners may be welded to a single panel by the method. Minimization of distortion improves the function and appearance of the finished plates and minimizes post-welding repairs.

Abstract: A portable inertia welder is mounted in a housing so as to afford both axial and rotational movement of a shaft with flywheel weights. Rotational motion is provided by a motor affixed to the drive shaft while axial motion is provided by means of a hydraulic housing mounted around said shaft. A chuck mounted to the shaft holds a first workpiece for rotational and axial displacement. Holding devices such as vacuum cups secure the welder to a second workpiece. A flash cutting tool and an appurtenance with a flash trap, welding flats, and an internally threaded bore are described.

Abstract: A torch cutting tool has a clamp that is attached to a workpiece with the clamp having a rotating platform with an attached first latch member. A second latch member is attached to a track with a moveable carriage on which is mounted a positioning arm with a torch holder. After the clamp is attached to the workpiece, the second latch member is quickly latched to the first latch member to effect quick and simple setup. A cam follower, a second rotating platform, a second positioning arm, a covered track, a rotating base plate and metered fuel and oxygen supplies make the tool simple and easy to use.

Abstract: A portable inertia welder is mounted in a housing so as to afford both axial and rotational movement of a shaft with flywheel weights. Rotational motion is provided by a motor affixed to the drive shaft while axial motion is provided by means of a hydraulic housing mounted around said shaft. A chuck mounted to the shaft holds a first workpiece for rotational and axial displacement. Holding devices such as vacuum cups secure the welder to a second workpiece. A flash cutting tool and an appurtenance with a flash trap, welding flats, and an internally threaded bore are described.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using weld penetration containing one or more compounds selected from the group of compounds consisting of a) a titanium oxide, b) nickel oxide, c) a metal silicide, and d) mixtures of these compounds a flux containing at least two titanium oxides, nickel oxide, and a manganese silicide is particularly useful for welding a side variety of maerial including nickel-based alloys and carbon and stainless steels. The flux can be applied as a paste, as part of a cored wire or rod coated on the exterior of a filler wire or rod. Alternatively, it can be mixed with a polymeric binder and applied to the weld zone as a hot melt, paint, tape, adhesive, rod, wire or a stick.

Abstract: A friction stir welding tool for welding high-strength materials with one or more of the following features: 1) a curved transition geometry structure at the shoulder face and probe interface; 2) a tool material selected on the basis of an ultimate tensile strength determined at or above the temperature of the tool processing temperature; 3) a compressive stress at the point of crack fatigue introduced by mechanical or chemical means; and 4) a threaded probe with a) a major to minor thread diameter ratio that increases toward the distal end of the probe and/or b) with a curved thread root.

Abstract: A radiused corner support plate is used to form a corner void when making L- and T-corner welds that are filled with plasticized work piece material during friction stir welding to form a filleted corner weld. An improved friction stir welding tool uses either disrupting features such as crossed rectangular grooves in the distal tip end or a curved tip region or both to improve plasticized work piece material flow below the distal end and in the region of the fillet.

Abstract: Deep penetration gas tungsten arc welds are achieved using titanates such as Na2Ti3O7 or K2TiO3. A small amount of the titanate is applied to the weld zone in a carrier fluid paste or as part of a wire filler to afford deep penetration welds in carbon, chrome-molybdenum, and stainless steels as well as nickel-based alloys. To control arc wander, bead consistency, and slag and surface appearance of the weldments, various additional components may be optionally added to the titanate flux including transition metal oxides such as TiO, TiO2, Cr2O3, and Fe2O3, silicon dioxide, manganese silicides, fluorides and chlorides. However, the toxicity of the plumes from halide additives and the necessity of post-weld removal to prevent corrosion may preclude their use. In addition, it was found that a flux of titanium oxides, Fe2O3 and Cr2O3 affords deep weld penetration in carbon steels and nickel-based alloys but with some heat-to-heat variation.

Abstract: A new soldering technique and solder alloy for wetting and joining hard-to-wet materials including titanium alloys such as nitinol uses a solder alloy containing tin and an active wetting promoting element such as aluminum in the presence of ultrasound. As shown in the Figure, molten solder alloy (10) is applied to the hard-to-wet material (18) with the application of ultrasonic energy (14) which removes coatings (20) such as tenacious surface oxides to leave the base material (18) which is readily wetted by the solder alloy (20).

Abstract: To overcome 1) the high levels of porosity due to coating material vaporization and entrapment into the weld, 2) spewing of molten base metal from the weld leaving holes and pits in the weld, and 3) humping effects when oblong beam configurations are used at higher weld speeds to weld coated materials, the present invention features an energy source (10) with multiple separated energy beams (24, 26) (formed by using multiple separate beam sources or manipulation of a single beam (14) into separated multiple energy beams (44, 46) using wedge mirror (18) and parabolic focusing mirror (20)) that produces high quality (porosity free) lap welds in a weld stack (50) of layered materials (30, 32) coated with coating material (28, 28′, 34, 34′) with zero gap at interface (38) during the welding process.

Abstract: A method for production of simultaneous lap and butt joints directs electromagnetic radiation (12) through a radiation transmitting material (40) to an absorbing material (44a, 44b, and 44c) that absorbs radiation (12) with the generation of heat. The heat provides sufficient molten material in interfaces (50a, 50b, and 50c) to fuse and bond: 1) pipe ends (14, 24) to each other in a butt joint (22), 2) pipe end portion (16) to sleeve (40) in a lap joint (28a), and 3) pipe end portion (26) to sleeve (40) in a lap joint (28b). Use of a sufficiently clear material for sleeve (40) allows visual inspection of joints (22, 28a, and 28b). Butt joint (22) can be formed by conductive heating without absorbing material (44a) to provide a smooth interior bore useful for transporting high purity fluids without risk of absorbent contamination or debris and organism collection in gaps found in previous joining techniques.

Abstract: A welding arrangement comprises first and second parts to be welded with an edge portion of the first part and an edge portion of the second part juxtaposed to form a weld zone. An electrically-conductive sheet(s) with a higher melting temperature than a melting temperature of the first and second parts are placed over the weld zone and a force application device is used to apply a lateral compressive force to the weld zone. First and second electrodes are placed in contact with the electrically conductive sheet(s) which are resistively heated and in turn conductively heat the weld zone.