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NDE of Friction Stir Welds in Aerospace ApplicationsFriction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid state joining process, which utilizes a cylindrical, shouldered pin tool with a radiused tip that is rotated and plunged into the weld joint. Frictional heating beneath the shoulder, and surrounding the pin tip causes the material to plasticize, intermix and consolidate into a weldment without melting the parent material. FSW in aluminum alloys has many advantages such as low distortion and shrinkage, excellent mechanical properties, and no porosity. However, the propensity of the FSW process to create detrimental defects does exist, and is dependent on FSW parameter limits and controls. Inspection processes for FSW must also be selected and implemented concurrent with the new weld process. This paper describes the efforts by Lockheed Martin and NASA to find proper NDE techniques for detecting and characterizing the anomalies that may be caused by operating outside the envelope of optimized FSW parameters. Potential defects are identified and the results of the exploration of numerous NDE techniques including visual, liquid penetrant, multiple ultrasonic methods, eddy current and conductivity are discussed.
Document ID
20020066657
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Authors
Kinchen, David G.
(Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems New Orleans, LA United States)
Aldahir, Esma
(Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems New Orleans, LA United States)
Date Acquired
September 7, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 2002
Subject Category
Mechanical Engineering
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAS8-00016
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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