Near Net Shape by Friction Welding

In this section

Back to Core Research Programme AMorph – 4D Printing for Field Morphing Structures Automation of Composite and Hybrid Joining Process Coaxial Wire Additive Manufacturing Processes and In-Line Monitoring Tools Development of Coded Excitation Technique for Non-Metallic Pipes Inspection Development of Digital Twin technology as a demonstrator for real-time integrity assessment of crack growth in tensile specimens Development of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) for Hydrogen Fuel Storage Tanks Development of Leak-Before-Break Hydrogen Storage Composite Pressure Vessels With Polymeric Liner Establishing Assessment Methods for Determining Safe Service Limits of High-Temperature Materials in Extreme Environments Fracture toughness in aggressive environments: effect of crack monitoring techniques on test results In-process detection and non-destructive testing of electron beam weld imperfections Internal Bore Coatings for Applications in Corrosion and Hydrogen Environment Joining of Additively Manufactured Materials Long term behaviour of polymeric liner materials/coatings in hydrogen service Techniques for High Temperature Ultrasonic Inspection of Arc Welding Ultimate Leverage Fund

Project Code: 23030

Industrial Need

Nickel Superalloy 718 (Ni718) is used in numerous subsea assemblies. Ni718 bolts were previously been selected as suitable demonstrators for this work, being currently machined from billets, or hot press forged; methods that are relatively expensive, and time consuming. Friction welding techniques offer the potential for solid-phase additive manufacture to build up semi-finished, close to net shape products by the successive welding of relatively simple shapes. This approach can dramatically reduce the volume of raw material used and the extent of machining required in part production; which can result in significant cost savings, time savings and associated environmental benefits.

Objectives

The objectives of this work are:

To review potential new applications for additive manufacturing by FW in a range of industry sectors including aerospace, transport and oil and gas.

To select a relevant case study for each industry sector and to produce demonstration components for each selected application.

To conduct a technical and economic assessment of the demonstrator components in order to generate relevant data to support industrial uptake of friction additive manufacturing.

Relevant Industry Sectors

Aerospace, Transport, Oil and Gas