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Tool that combines clamp with gas nozzle is aid to tungsten/inert-gas (TIG) welding in hard-to-reach spots. Tool holds work to be welded while directing a stream of argon gas at weld joint, providing an oxygen-free environment for tungsten-arc welding.
Inert-gas diffuser provides protective gas cover for weld bead as it cools. Follows welding torch, maintaining continuous flow of argon over newly formed joint and prevents it from oxidizing. Helps to ensure welds of consistently high quality. Devised for plasma arc keyhole welding of plates of 0.25-in. or greater thickness, also used in tungsten/inert-gas and other plasma or arc welding processes.
When sections are being welded, operator varies pulse rate of power supply and simultaneously monitors signal on oscilloscope until rate is found which produces maximum arc gas voltage. Remainder of welding is performed with power supply set at this pulse rate, producing desired maximum weld puddle agitation and fine uniform weld of grain structure.
Gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is a vital fusion welding process widely used throughout the aerospace industry. Its use may be critical for the repair or manufacture of systems, rockets, or facilities on the Martian surface. Aluminum alloy AA2219-T87 and titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V butt welds have been investigated for weldability and weld properties in a simulated Martian gas environment. The resulting simulated Martian welds were compared to welds made in a terrestrial atmosphere, all of which used argon shielding gas. It was found that GTAW is a process that may be used in a Martian gas environment, not accounting for pressure and gravitational effects, as long as adequate argon shielding gas is used to protect the weld metal. Simulated Martian welds exhibited higher hardness in all cases and higher tensile strength in the case of AA2219-T87. This has been attributed to the absorption of carbon into the fusion zone, causing carbide precipitates to form. These precipitates may act to pin dislocations upon tensile testing of AA2219-T87. Dissolved carbon may have also led to carburization, which may have caused the increase in hardness within the fusion zone of the welds. Based on the results of this experiment and other similar experiments, GTAW appears to be a promising process for welding in a Martian gas environment. Additional funding and experimentation is necessary to determine the effects of the low pressure and low gravity environment found on Mars on GTAW.
Report describes study of fusion welding using chilled inert gas. Marked improvement shown in welding of aluminum using chilled helium gas. Chilling inert gas produces two additional benefits: 1) creation of ultradense inert atmosphere around welds; 2) chilled gas cools metal more quickly down to temperature at which metals not reactive.
At the current state-of-technology there are many joining processes that can be used to make sound welds in TD-NiCr sheet. Some of these that are described in this report are electron beam welding, gas-tungsten arc welding, diffusion welding, resistance spot welding, resistance seam welding, and brazing. The strengths of the welds made by the various processes show considerable variation, especially at elevated temperatures. Most of the fusion welding processes tend to give weak welds at elevated temperatures (with the exception of fusion-type resistance spotwelds). However, solid-state welds have been made with parent metal properties. The process used for a specific application will be dictated by the specific joint requirements. In highly stressed joints at elevated temperatures, one of the solid-state processes, such as DFW, RSW (solid-state or fusion), and RSEW, offer the most promise.
Methods of eliminating or reducing underbread cracking in multipass GTA welds in thick T-111 plate were studied. Single V butt welds prepared using experimental filler metal compositions and standard weld procedures resulted in only moderate success in reducing underbread cracking. Subsequent procedural changes incorporating manual welding, slower weld speeds, and three or fewer fill passes resulted in crack-free single V welds only when the filler metal was free of hafnium. The double V joint design with successive fill passes on opposite sides of the joint produced excellent welds. The quality of each weld was determined metallographically since the cracking, when present, was very slight and undetectable using standard NDT techniques. Tensile and bend tests were performed on selected weldments. The inherent filler metal strength and the joint geometry determined the strength of the weldment. Hardness and electron beam microprobe traverses were made on selected specimens with the result that significant filler metal-base metal dilution as well as hafnium segregation was detected. A tentative explanation of T-111 plate underbread cracking is presented based on the intrinsic effects of hafnium in the weldment.
A comprehensive evaluation is conducted of candidate processes for metalworking in orbital (vacuum-microgravity) conditions. Attention is given to electron-beam welding, brazing, gas-tungsten arc welding, laser welding, plasma arc welding, and gas-metal arc welding. It is established that several of these processes will be required to cover all foreseeable requirements. Microgravity effects are considered minor, and efforts are being concentrated on problems associated with vacuum conditions and with process-operator safety.
Quantitative analysis of gas contaminant role as source of defects in welding of aluminum
Time-temperature relationship as common denominator in welding - application to inert gas arc welding and electron beam welding
Improved chambers for inert-gas purging of back sides of workpieces during plasma arc welding in keyhole (full-penetration) mode based on concept of directing flows of inert gases toward, and concentrating them on, hot weld zones. Tapered chamber concentrates flow of inert gas on plasma arc plume and surrounding metal.
Bend angles for columbium-base alloys, WC3015 and Cb752, at temperatures between -300 F and +500 F are reported. WC3015 exhibited a bend transition temperature well below -100 F, but was severely embrittled by silicide coatings. Cb 752 exhibited a bend transition temperature below -300 F, and the silicide coating application did not influence bend angle of the substrate. However, coating failure on both alloys was observed at less than 60 deg bend, even at 500 F. The effect of electron beam welding and gas tungsten-arc welding on the properties of WC3015 and Cb752 are also reported. Both techniques are shown to produce a marked reduction in the bend angle of WC3015. Unlike WC3015, ductility is restored in Cb752 after a suitable postweld anneal. Microstructural and hardness tests results for both alloys are reported and discussed.
A review of recent developments in high power, carbon dixoide laser welding is presented. Deep penetration welding in stainless steel to 0.5-in. thick, high speed welding in thin gage rimmed steel and gas shielded welding in Ti-6Al-4V alloy are described. The effects of laser power, power density, focusing optics, gas-shielding techniques, material properties and weld speed on weld quality and penetration are discussed. It is shown that laser welding performance in thin materials is comparable to that of electron beams. It is further shown that high quality welds, as evidenced by NDT, mechanical and metal-lographic tests, can be achieved. The potential of the laser for industrial welding applications is indicated.
A welding torch for gas tungsten arc welding apparatus has a hollow tungsten electrode including a ceramic liner and forms the filler metal wire guide. The wire is fed through the tungsten electrode thereby reducing the size of the torch to eliminate clearance problems which exist with external wire guides. Since the wire is preheated from the tungsten more wire may be fed into the weld puddle, and the wire will not oxidize because it is always within the shielding gas.
A welding torch for gas tungsten arc welding apparatus has a filler metal wire guide positioned within the torch, and within the shielding gas nozzle. The wire guide is adjacent to the tungsten electrode and has a ceramic liner through which the wire is fed. This reduces the size of the torch and eliminates the outside clearance problems that exit with external wire guides. Additionally, since the wire is always within the shielding gas, oxidizing of the wire is eliminated.
At the current state-of-technology there are many joining processes that can be used to make sound welds in TD-NiCr sheet. Some of these that are described in this report are electron beam welding (EBW), gas-tungsten arc welding (GTAW), diffusion welding (DFW), resistance spot welding (RSW), resistance seam welding (RSEW), and brazing. Roll welding (RW) and explosion welding (EXW) have not been developed to the point where they can be used to make sound welds in TD-NiCr. Joining work that has previously been done on TD-NiCr by various organizations, both privately supported and under Air Force and NASA contracts, is described in this summary. Current work is also described that is being done at General Dynamics/Convair (under NASA contract) and at NASA/Lewis to develop and evaluate DFW, RSW, RSEW, and brazing. Preliminary comparisons of joining processes are made for typical applications. A brief description of the manufacture of TD-NiCr sheet by a recently standardized process (under NASA contract) also is given.
The feasibility of applying conventional hot forming and welding methods to high temperature aluminum alloy, Al-8Fe-1V-2Si (FVS812), for structural applications and the effect of thermal exposure on mechanical properties were determined. FVS812 (AA8009) sheet exhibited good hot forming and resistance welding characteristics. It was brake formed to 90 deg bends (0.5T bend radius) at temperatures greater than or equal to 390 C (730 F), indicating the feasibility of fabricating basic shapes, such as angles and zees. Hot forming of simple contoured-flanged parts was demonstrated. Resistance spot welds with good static and fatigue strength at room and elevated temperatures were readily produced. Extended vacuum degassing during billet fabrication reduced porosity in fusion and resistance welds. However, electron beam welding was not possible because of extreme degassing during welding, and gas-tungsten-arc welds were not acceptable because of severely degraded mechanical properties. The FVS812 alloy exhibited excellent high temperature strength stability after thermal exposures up to 315 C (600 F) for 1000 h. Extended billet degassing appeared to generally improve tensile ductility, fatigue strength, and notch toughness. But the effects of billet degassing and thermal exposure on properties need to be further clarified. The manufacture of zee-stiffened, riveted, and resistance-spot-welded compression panels was demonstrated.
Friction stir welding is an innovative weld process that continues to grow in use, in the commercial, defense, and space sectors. It produces high quality and high strength welds in aluminum alloys. The process consists of a rotating weld pin tool that plasticizes material through friction. The plasticized material is welded by applying a high weld forge force through the weld pin tool against the material during pin tool rotation. The high weld forge force is reacted against an anvil and a stout tool structure. A variation of friction stir welding currently being evaluated is self-reacting friction stir welding. Self-reacting friction stir welding incorporates two opposing shoulders on the crown and root sides of the weld joint. In self-reacting friction stir welding, the weld forge force is reacted against the crown shoulder portion of the weld pin tool by the root shoulder. This eliminates the need for a stout tooling structure to react the high weld forge force required in the typical friction stir weld process. Therefore, the self-reacting feature reduces tooling requirements and, therefore, process implementation costs. This makes the process attractive for aluminum alloy circumferential weld applications. To evaluate the application of self-reacting friction stir welding for aluminum alloy circumferential welding, a feasibility study was performed. The study consisted of performing a fourteen-foot diameter aluminum alloy circumferential demonstration weld using typical fusion weld tooling. To accomplish the demonstration weld, weld and tack weld development were performed and fourteen-foot diameter rings were fabricated. Weld development consisted of weld pin tool selection and the generation of a process map and envelope. Tack weld development evaluated gas tungsten arc welding and friction stir welding for tack welding rings together for circumferential welding. As a result of the study, a successful circumferential demonstration weld was produced leading the way for future circumferential weld implementation.