Friction Stir Welding Control for Bent Structures Without Exit Holes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional welding processes, such as orbital welding and friction stir welding, face challenges in process control due to environmental conditions and gravity effects, particularly in applications like buried power lines and pipelines, leading to inefficiencies and potential hole formation during the welding process.
Innovation Solution
A device for friction stir welding with integrated temperature and force sensors, including a pyrometer and strain gauges, controls welding parameters in real-time to synchronize the movement of the welding shoe and pin, ensuring precise control of pressure, temperature, and position, eliminating hole formation and enhancing weld seam quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional orbital welding processes are used for tubular components, then welding can be performed on pipes and power lines, but process control becomes highly complex due to gravity effects on melt and shielding gas, and environmental susceptibility increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional arc welding with friction stir welding, substituting a thermal process with a mechanical process. The friction stir welding tool mechanically generates heat through friction and directly stirs the material, eliminating the need for complex control of arc, melt, and shielding gas behavior. This mechanical approach significantly simplifies process control while maintaining versatility for tubular components.
2Manufacturing precision
If friction stir welding is used to eliminate hole formation, then weld seam quality improves, but process control complexity increases due to multiple sensor integration and real-time parameter synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates multiple sensors (pyrometer for temperature, strain gauges for force, position sensors) into a unified control system that manages all welding parameters simultaneously. By merging these measurement functions into a single coordinated control architecture, the system achieves high weld seam quality through real-time parameter synchronization without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback control using pyrometers to monitor temperature and strain gauges to monitor forces during friction stir welding. This feedback enables dynamic adjustment of welding parameters to prevent hole formation and ensure consistent weld quality, with the control system responding to actual process conditions rather than relying solely on pre-programmed parameters.
3Reliability
If real-time temperature and force control is implemented, then hole formation is eliminated and weld quality improves, but measurement and control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces indirect thermal measurement methods with direct mechanical measurement using strain gauges mounted on the friction stir welding tool. This mechanical measurement approach provides more reliable and straightforward force data compared to thermal methods, while the integrated pyrometer provides complementary temperature information. Together, these sensors deliver reliable process data with manageable measurement complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides precise control over welding parameters, ensuring high-quality weld seams without holes, adaptable to various spatial orientations, and reduces production time and material waste, enhancing the efficiency and reliability of the welding process.
Implementation Method 1
a pyrometer and/or the temperature measuring device is arranged such that the temperature is measured at at least one temperature measuring point in front of, next to and/or behind the weld pool
Implementation Method 2
frictional heat is generated in the joining area of the materials to be welded by the friction between a rotating tool that simultaneously moves in a translational motion and applies pressure
Implementation Method 3
a sensor is provided for scanning the butt joints between pipe and flange, and furthermore a device is provided for moving a shaped wedge towards and away from the tangential plane
Data Source
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AI summary
Method and device for homogeneously welding two-dimensionally bent structures in the form of two parts to be joined (6) by friction stir welding, with the following features: a) a receiving plate (1), which is guided by a guiding machine and has a drive head (2) and a cone element (3) fastened thereto and having a welding shoe mount (4) and a pin bearing (5) for a welding pin (11) of a welding shoe (8), serves for carrying out the method, b) to achieve a welding result without holes and with a satisfactory surface on both sides of the parts to be joined (6), the measuring parameters relevant to the control of the welding process are determined, wherein a strip-shaped sensor (23) is provided along the side of the cone element (3), wherein a sensor (20) for sensing the axial force is provided, wherein at least three sensors (25) in the form of strain gauge strips serve for measuring the axial force acting on the welding pin (11), and wherein a further piezoelectric force-measuring sensor (24), which likewise serves for measuring the axial force, is provided in the longitudinal axis of the shank (7) of the friction pin.