Efficient Manufacture of Titanium Aircraft Parts by Linear Friction Welding
Efficient Manufacture of Titanium Aircraft Parts by Linear Friction Welding
Monday, May 7, 2018: 9:30 AM
Naples 2 (Gaylord Palms Resort )
New composites aircrafts require many titanium alloy parts.
Aerostructures are often machined from oversized ingots, forgings or extrusions. For titanium alloys, this is expensive due to the large amount of wasted material, and their slow machining. Already known for the production of latest aero engines compressor Blisks, Linear Friction Welding (LFW) is a disruptive technology capable of producing aerostructure parts by joining smaller workpieces to produce a preform, machined to the desired dimensions, reducing lead times and using material efficiently.
Aerostructures are often machined from oversized ingots, forgings or extrusions. For titanium alloys, this is expensive due to the large amount of wasted material, and their slow machining. Already known for the production of latest aero engines compressor Blisks, Linear Friction Welding (LFW) is a disruptive technology capable of producing aerostructure parts by joining smaller workpieces to produce a preform, machined to the desired dimensions, reducing lead times and using material efficiently.
Metallographic examinations carried out on a large series of Ti-6Al-4V trials revealed high integrity welds free from contaminants and oxides at the weld
interface. As-welded joints and post-weld heat-treated joints were tested under tensile and alternating fatigue conditions, showing properties directly comparable to the parent material. A techno-economic assessment was conducted on a demonstrator part, and demonstrated that LFW can be economically implemented for the aerostructures industry.