Thin Metal Hollow Structure Tooling for Stable Friction Welding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing friction welding techniques face challenges in assembling thin metal parts into hollow structures like airfoils and tail units, as they struggle with maintaining part shape, managing axial and lateral forces, and achieving consistent welding quality due to the small thickness and dimensions of the components.
Innovation Solution
The use of tooling that includes an anvil and shape-holder members to clamp and hold preformed parts in position, with deformable clamping means and lateral grip members to manage forces and maintain shape, allowing for efficient friction welding of thin metal parts into hollow structures with small wall thickness and internal volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional friction welding techniques are used to assemble thin metal parts into hollow structures, then the welding process can be performed, but the part shape cannot be maintained and welding quality becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning the thin metal parts onto a rigid backing plate with precisely positioned recesses that match the part geometries. This preliminary positioning and support structure is established before the friction welding process begins, ensuring parts maintain their intended shapes and relative positions throughout welding, thereby achieving consistent welding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid backing plate serves as an intermediary element between the thin metal parts and the welding process. It provides mechanical support and shape maintenance for the thin parts during welding, acting as a mediator that enables both shape preservation and welding quality consistency without requiring direct complex fixtureing of each part.
2Productivity
If thin metal parts are clamped for friction welding, then welding can be performed, but axial and lateral forces cause deformation and positioning errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the force-bearing function from the clamping system by introducing a rigid backing plate that supports the parts during welding. The clamping mechanism is simplified to only hold parts initially, while the backing plate absorbs and manages the axial and lateral forces generated during friction welding, preventing deformation and positioning errors.
Solution Approach 2:
The backing plate features recesses that are precise copies or negative impressions of the thin metal part geometries. These recesses replicate the intended part shapes and positions, providing inherent guidance and support that maintains positioning accuracy even under welding forces.
3Manufacturing precision
If complex tooling is used to maintain part shape during welding, then welding quality improves, but tooling assembly and disassembly become time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid backing plate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for thin parts, maintains part shapes through integrated recesses, positions parts accurately, and manages welding forces. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate complex fixtures, reducing setup and disassembly time while maintaining high welding quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the support, positioning, and force-management functions into a single integrated rigid backing plate structure. By combining these functions that would traditionally require separate tooling elements, the system achieves high welding quality without the time penalty of assembling and disassembling complex multi-component tooling.
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
This solution enables robust, reliable, and consistent friction welding of thin metal parts into hollow structures by effectively managing forces and heat, ensuring the desired shape and quality of the welded joint, even in small dimensions, and allows for easy assembly and disassembly.
Implementation Method 1
The bead of welding is obtained in the welding zone as a result of the parts heating under the effect of the friction applied locally thereto by the welding pin
Implementation Method 2
Clamping members press at least one of the parts against opposing thrust received by one and/or the other of the parts against an anvil
Implementation Method 3
The parts are subsequently joined together by continuous dynamic recrystallization of the material in the welding zone
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to tooling for holding parts in position to enable them to be friction welded together in order to construct a hollow structure, the tooling comprises: a framework made up of two frames for receiving the parts for welding together in their positions for forming the hollow structure, said parts comprising preformed parts and an intermediate section; shape-holder members for holding the hollow structure, associating backing thrust members and lateral grip members for gripping the outsides of the preformed parts; anvils suitable for being placed inside the set of preformed parts beside the section; and clamping means operable to take up a clamping position in which they cause opposing thrust to be applied against the anvil and the inside face of a preformed part, its part itself bears against the shape-holder members.