Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Equipment for Solid State Stir Welding of High Temperature Materials, Phase I
Project Introduction
Stir welding generates high-quality joints in fabricated structure and is the baseline joining process for most NASA aluminum alloy structures such as cryogenic tanks and lightweight structures. Incorporating ultrasonic vibration to critical stir welding machine components will enable and expand stir welding to other high-strength, high-temperature alloys using solid state joining. This project will scale up proven ultrasonic vibration technology and incorporate it on a NASA stir welding machine for the weld fabrication of extendable liquid rocket engine skirts and other high temperature applications for space structures.
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Anticipated Benefits
Aerospace and commercial airframe structures, Navy and commercial ship building (Ti and Steel alloys), bridge structures, rail car structure, tank trucks, DOD tracked and wheeled vehicles Solid state stir welding of thick-section aluminum, titanium, and high temperature nickel alloy materials is enabled for the improved manufacture of extendable rocket engine nozzle skirt applications, space vehicle primary structure, cryogenic tank structure, and for other fabricated structures for high temperature space craft structural components. Supports welding in space capabilities.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Synergistic Enterprises, Inc. | Lead Organization | Industry | Port Saint Lucie, Florida |
| Edison Welding Institute | Supporting Organization | Academia | Columbus, Ohio |
Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
|
Supporting Organization | NASA Center | Huntsville, Alabama |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Alabama
-
Florida
-
Ohio
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Organization:
- Keystone Synergistic Enterprises, Inc.
Responsible Program:
- Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
Project Duration
Start: Feb 2011
End: Feb 2012
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 3 |
| Estimated End: | 3 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TX12 Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems, and Manufacturing
- TX12.4 Manufacturing
- TX12.4.1 Manufacturing Processes
Target Destination
Earth
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This is a historic project that was completed before the creation of TechPort on October 1, 2012. Available data has been included. This record may contain less data than currently active projects.