V. R. Dave, Beyond6 Sigma, Santa Fe, NM
Despite significant advances in the welding of aerostructures over the past decade and the introduction of welding into production commercial airframes, significant challenges still remain in order to achieve the full potential that welding could offer. Some of the barriers to entry for welded aerostructures include quality control challenges both real and perceived, as well as the effective incorporation of welding into the design methodology of aerostructures, i.e. designing structures to be welded as opposed to considering welding as an afterthought. Additionally, there is an intrinsic conservatism and a 50-plus year history of not making extensive use of welding. In this talk we first review the drivers which are increasingly pushing manufacturers to seriously consider welding for components that historically have not been welded. These drivers include improved material utilisation as well as the opportunity to significantly reduce structural weight. Then the key technical issues which must be addressed to significantly expand the applications of welded aerostructures are reviewed. Many of these issues centre on quality control and effective design for welding. Lastly specific examples are shown of successful implementations as well as some applications which are still under development. For example some of these case studies include friction welding of titanium and of high strength steels, gas metal arc welding of titanium, laser welding, and electron beam processing for both welding as well as additive manufacturing. The lessons that were learned during these development activities are generalised. A guiding framework is therefore developed that if followed could streamline the design, process development, and eventual widespread production implementation of welded aerostructures.
Summary: Despite significant advances in the welding of aerostructures over the past decade and the introduction of welding into production commercial airframes, significant challenges still remain in order to achieve the full potential that welding could offer. We first review the drivers which are increasingly pushing manufacturers to seriously consider welding for components that historically have not been welded. Then the key technical issues which must be addressed to significantly expand the applications of welded aerostructures are reviewed. Lastly, specific examples are shown of successful implementations, and the lessons that were learned during these development activities are generalised. Some of these examples include friction welding of titanium and of high strength steels, gas metal arc welding of titanium, laser welding, and electron beam processing for both welding as well as additive manufacturing.
