Linear Friction Welding: A Blisk History Leading to an Additive Manufacturing Future
Linear Friction Welding: A Blisk History Leading to an Additive Manufacturing Future
Tuesday, May 24, 2016: 5:00 PM
402 (Meydenbauer Center)
Friction welding dates back to the early 1950’s when rotary fiction welding was first developed
and proven for joining a wide range of metallic products across a large variety of industries.
Linear friction welding, most recently taking hold in the Aero & Astro Space industries is a solid
state welding process that generates heat through mechanical friction between workpieces in a
linear relative motion to one another, with the addition of a lateral force to plastically displace
and bond the materials.
Linear friction welding (LFW) and the benefits of the LFW process has most predominantly
been utilized for aircraft engine blisk (blade to disk) production of titanium components. We
will be discussing some of the challenges overcome from its initial process introduction, to its
current established position of maturity on several aircraft engine program production machines
that have been delivered to the industry. The lessons learned from these focused programs have
led to a new frontier of much more diverse applications and the ability to leverage these
transformational advantages (bimetallic material options, small cycle time, superior HAZ
strength, reduced Buy-to-Fly ratios) the process can offer to the right application.
This new frontier for LFW, including a heavy emphasis on “Near Net Shape” applications will
be reviewed with examples to stimulate thought of even more possibilities. Challenges and a
vision of potential solutions to widespread implementation of LFW that will be discussed include
the balance of capability and cost as it relates to capital payback.
It will be clear why LFW is considered, and will continue to be, an important complementary
process as a joining technology within Additive Manufacturing.
and proven for joining a wide range of metallic products across a large variety of industries.
Linear friction welding, most recently taking hold in the Aero & Astro Space industries is a solid
state welding process that generates heat through mechanical friction between workpieces in a
linear relative motion to one another, with the addition of a lateral force to plastically displace
and bond the materials.
Linear friction welding (LFW) and the benefits of the LFW process has most predominantly
been utilized for aircraft engine blisk (blade to disk) production of titanium components. We
will be discussing some of the challenges overcome from its initial process introduction, to its
current established position of maturity on several aircraft engine program production machines
that have been delivered to the industry. The lessons learned from these focused programs have
led to a new frontier of much more diverse applications and the ability to leverage these
transformational advantages (bimetallic material options, small cycle time, superior HAZ
strength, reduced Buy-to-Fly ratios) the process can offer to the right application.
This new frontier for LFW, including a heavy emphasis on “Near Net Shape” applications will
be reviewed with examples to stimulate thought of even more possibilities. Challenges and a
vision of potential solutions to widespread implementation of LFW that will be discussed include
the balance of capability and cost as it relates to capital payback.
It will be clear why LFW is considered, and will continue to be, an important complementary
process as a joining technology within Additive Manufacturing.