SBIR/STTR
Design and Manufacture of Pin Tools for Friction Stir Welding of Temperature-Resistant Materials, Phase I
Project Introduction
The primary goal of this SBIR Phase I project is to advance the development of low-cost, functionally graded laser additive manufactured high temperature refractory and cermet pin tools for friction stir welding (FSW) and/or friction stir processing (FSP) of heat-resistant materials. A solid state process, FSW produces high quality welds in difficult-to-weld materials and is fast becoming the process of choice for manufacturing lightweight transport structures including for space launch vehicles. Development of pin tools for FSW/FSP of the high temperature materials is a major challenge, as current pin tools are expensive and often fail prematurely. Production of pin tools using an Additive Manufacturing (AM) approach could offer a viable option for producing near-net shaped and relatively inexpensive functionally graded pin tools suitable for welding high temperature materials. The near-net-shape nature of this process not only minimizes the amount of machining and grinding involved, but also greatly reduces the time for manufacturing, or repair, of the pin tools.
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Anticipated Benefits
Potential NASA Commercial Applications includes metal structures and components for space launch vehicles, spacecraft, airframes, and gas turbines, emphasizing high temperature applications.
Potential Non-NASA Commercial Applications includes metal structures and components for military and/or commercial space launch vehicles, spacecraft, airframes, air and land-based gas turbines, land vehicles (cars, trucks, trains), sea vehicles (recreation, passenger, cargo), and consumer products (electronics). More »
Potential Non-NASA Commercial Applications includes metal structures and components for military and/or commercial space launch vehicles, spacecraft, airframes, air and land-based gas turbines, land vehicles (cars, trucks, trains), sea vehicles (recreation, passenger, cargo), and consumer products (electronics). More »
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Marshall Space Flight Center
(MSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Huntsville, AL |
| Transition45 Technologies, Inc. | Supporting Organization | Industry | Orange, CA |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
California
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Organizational Responsibility
Responsible Mission Directorate:
- Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
Lead Center / Facility:
- Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)
Responsible Program:
- SBIR/STTR
Project Management
Program Director:
Program Manager:
Principal Investigator:
- Edward Chen
Project Duration
Start: Jun 2016
End: Dec 2016
Technology Maturity (TRL)
| Start: | 2 |
| Current: | 3 |
| Estimated End: | 3 |
Applied Research
Development
Demo & Test
Technology Areas
Primary:
- TA 12 Materials, Structures, Mechanical Systems and Manufacturing
- TA 12.1 Materials
- TA 12.1.5 Special Materials
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