Friction stir welding of high-strength aerospace aluminum alloy and application in rocket tank manufacturing

Friction stir welding （FSW） has been widely adopted in aerospace industry for fabricating high-strength aluminum alloy structures, such as large volume fuel tanks, due to its exceptional advantages includ- ing low distortion, less defects and high mechanical properties of the joint. This article sys...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of materials science & technology Vol. 34; no. 1; pp. 73 - 91
Main Authors Wang, Guoqing, Zhao, Yanhua, Hao, Yunfei
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Ltd 2018
Subjects
Application
Friction stir welding
Fuel tank
High-strength aluminum alloy
铝合金结构;火箭坦克;高张力;焊接;太空;生产;磨擦;航空航天工业
High-strength aluminum alloy
Fuel tank
Application
Friction stir welding
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Friction stir welding （FSW） has been widely adopted in aerospace industry for fabricating high-strength aluminum alloy structures, such as large volume fuel tanks, due to its exceptional advantages includ- ing low distortion, less defects and high mechanical properties of the joint. This article systematically reviews the key technical issues in producing large capacity aluminum alloy fuel tanks by using FSW, including tool design. FSW process optimization, nondestructive testing （NDT） techniques and defect repairing techniques, etc. To fulfill the requirements of Chinese aerospace industry, constant-force FSW, retractable tool FSW, lock joint FSW, on-line NDT and solid-state equal-strength FSW techniques, as well as a complete set of aerospace aluminum FSW equipment, have been successfully developed. All these techniques have been engineered and validated in rocket tanks, which enormously improved the fabrication ability of Chinese aerospace industry.
Bibliography:21-1315/TG
Friction stir welding （FSW） has been widely adopted in aerospace industry for fabricating high-strength aluminum alloy structures, such as large volume fuel tanks, due to its exceptional advantages includ- ing low distortion, less defects and high mechanical properties of the joint. This article systematically reviews the key technical issues in producing large capacity aluminum alloy fuel tanks by using FSW, including tool design. FSW process optimization, nondestructive testing （NDT） techniques and defect repairing techniques, etc. To fulfill the requirements of Chinese aerospace industry, constant-force FSW, retractable tool FSW, lock joint FSW, on-line NDT and solid-state equal-strength FSW techniques, as well as a complete set of aerospace aluminum FSW equipment, have been successfully developed. All these techniques have been engineered and validated in rocket tanks, which enormously improved the fabrication ability of Chinese aerospace industry.
Fuel tank High-strength aluminum alloy Friction stir welding Application
ISSN:1005-0302
1941-1162
DOI:10.1016/j.jmst.2017.11.041