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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
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Technique effective and energy-efficient. Report describes evaluation of laser welding and cutting of Inconel(R) 718. Notes that electron-beam welding processes developed for In-718, but difficult to use on large or complex structures. Cutting of In-718 by laser fast and produces only narrow kerf. Cut edge requires dressing, to endure fatigue.
Proposed subsystem of tungsten/inert-gas (TIG) welding system measures length of welding arc optically. Viewed by video camera, in one of three alternative optical configurations. Length of arc measured instead of inferred from voltage.
Wire kept in shielding gas, preventing oxidation. Guide inside gas cup of gas/tungsten-arc welding torch feeds filler wire to weld pool along line parallel to axis of torch. Eliminates problem of how to place and orient torch to provide clearance for external wire guide.
Proposed spot-welding gun equipped with pneumatic spring, which could be bellows or piston and cylinder, exerts force independent of position along stroke. Applies accurate controlled force to joint welded, without precise positioning at critical position within stroke.
Realistic welding conditions produce reliable specimens. Simple fixture holds resistance-welding test specimens. Specimen holder includes metallic holder and clamps to provide electrical and thermal paths and plastic parts providing thermal and electrical isolation.
Proposed ultrasonic stimulator vibrates weld puddle without making contact. Vibration breaks up large grain clumps in solidifying puddle, creating more uniform, fine-grain microstructure. Resulting weld joint less susceptible to hot cracking and other stress-related forms of degradation.
A welding torch for gas tungsten arc welding apparatus has a filler metal wire guide positioned within the torch, and within the shielding gas nozzle. The wire guide is adjacent to the tungsten electrode and has a ceramic liner through which the wire is fed. This reduces the size of the torch and eliminates the outside clearance problems that exit with external wire guides. Additionally, since the wire is always within the shielding gas, oxidizing of the wire is eliminated.
Compact welding torch equipped with along-the-torch vision system includes cubic beam splitter to direct preview light on weldment and to reflect light coming from welding scene for imaging. Beam splitter integral with torch; requires no external mounting brackets. Rugged and withstands vibrations and wide range of temperatures. Commercially available, reasonably priced, comes in variety of sizes and optical qualities with antireflection and interference-filter coatings on desired faces. Can provide 50 percent transmission and 50 percent reflection of incident light to exhibit minimal ghosting of image.
Improved electrode for gas/tungsten arc welding in vacuum essentially hollow cylinder along which inert gas flows. Interior of cylinder provides large surface area for emission of electrons to form welding arc. Flow of pressurized inert gas inhibits vaporization of hot electrode material. Both features combine to reduce erosion of electrode. Electrode lasts considerably longer in vacuum than conventional electrode.
Sensing-and-data-processing subsystem provides information of asymmetry of weld puddle with respect to original midplane of joint. Shape of puddle inferred from surface-temperature distribution. Part of welding-control system which enables system to correct for asymmetry.
Insert for wire-guide tube on tungsten/inert-gas welding apparatus extends life of guide tube and increases accuracy of weld. Hardened insert resists wear by sliding tungsten wire. Chamfer guides wire into insert.
Alignment tool enables accurate positioning of optoelectronic sensor measuring weld penetration. Designed for use on tungsten/inert-gas welding apparatus, used to adjust position of sensor so photodiode puts out maximum signal. Tangs of slotted cap bent slightly inward to provide spring force holding cap snugly on sensor mount. Tool installed and removed without aid of other tools. Length of pointer adjusted with set-screws. Used with variety of gas cup and electrode lengths.
NASA technical memorandum presents parametric study of additional stresses introduced into cylindrical pressure vessel that is round except for radial mismatch in longitudinal butt weld in sidewall. Prompted by concern over fatigue caused by cyclic stresses in longitudinally welded cylindrical titanium inlet of high-pressure turbopump in main engine of Space Shuttle. Results applicable to any round cylindrical pressure vessel characterized by parameters, and conform to simplifying assumptions, used in analysis.
Computer programs developed for use in controlling automated welding system described in MFS-28578. Together with control computer, computer input and output devices and control sensors and actuators, provide flexible capability for planning and implementation of schemes for automated welding of specific workpieces. Developed according to macro- and task-level programming schemes, which increases productivity and consistency by reducing amount of "teaching" of system by technician. System provides for three-dimensional mathematical modeling of workpieces, work cells, robots, and positioners.
Vision is one of the most powerful forms of non-contact sensing for monitoring and control of manufacturing processes. However, processes involving an arc plasma or flame such as welding or thermal spraying pose particularly challenging problems to conventional vision sensing and processing techniques. The arc or plasma is not typically limited to a single spectral region and thus cannot be easily filtered out optically. This paper presents an innovative vision sensing system that uses intense stroboscopic illumination to overpower the arc light and produce a video image that is free of arc light or glare and dedicated image processing and analysis schemes that can enhance the video images or extract features of interest and produce quantitative process measures which can be used for process monitoring and control. Results of two SBIR programs sponsored by NASA and DOE and focusing on the application of this innovative vision sensing and processing technology to thermal spraying and welding process monitoring and control are discussed.
ROCKFILL is software that calculates key robot weld information. Its easy-to-use menu system enables robot operator to estimate better number of passes, amount of wire, arc time, and amount of heat put into particular weld. Designed to operate on work-cell personal computer of robot and requires no documentation or training. Written in C language.
Report describes study of three mathematical models of variable-polarity plasma arc welding VPPAW. Models based on physics of welding process considered at three different levels of abstraction.
Metal/inert-gas welding-torch assembly operates in vacuum. Plasma generated in interior chamber and focused onto workpiece in vacuum. Pinch rollers feed wire to weld puddle. Controlled flow of plasma reduces dispersal in vacuum, preventing extinction.