Joining of Additively Manufactured Materials

In this section

Back to Core Research Programme AMorph – 4D Printing for Field Morphing Structures Automation of Composite and Hybrid Joining Process Coaxial Wire Additive Manufacturing Processes and In-Line Monitoring Tools Development of Coded Excitation Technique for Non-Metallic Pipes Inspection Development of Digital Twin technology as a demonstrator for real-time integrity assessment of crack growth in tensile specimens Development of Friction Stir Welding (FSW) for Hydrogen Fuel Storage Tanks Development of Leak-Before-Break Hydrogen Storage Composite Pressure Vessels With Polymeric Liner Establishing Assessment Methods for Determining Safe Service Limits of High-Temperature Materials in Extreme Environments Fracture toughness in aggressive environments: effect of crack monitoring techniques on test results In-process detection and non-destructive testing of electron beam weld imperfections Internal Bore Coatings for Applications in Corrosion and Hydrogen Environment Joining of Additively Manufactured Materials Long term behaviour of polymeric liner materials/coatings in hydrogen service Techniques for High Temperature Ultrasonic Inspection of Arc Welding Ultimate Leverage Fund

Project Code: 34730

Start date and planned duration: January 2022, 36 months

Objectives

Perform experimental trials on brazing and diffusion bonding of 316L and alloy 718
Evaluate the integrity of the brazed and DB joints through non-destructive and destructive tests
Assess the microstructural evolution in the substrate as well as in the joint after the joining process (brazing & diffusion bonding)
Perform functional tests on the braze joint such as tensile, shear, fatigue and corrosion
Manufacture two different using selected L-PBF and joining parameters

Project Outline

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has seen a huge growth in development and adoption in the last decade. However, several problems still persist despite the continuous development. Some of these problems are part size, single material manufacturing, and inability to clear, fully enclosed, internal geometries, among others.

Joining of AM parts offers a number of potential benefits including the possibility to manufacture larger size parts by the joining of multiple components, generation of multi material structures and the manufacture of support free, complex structures with intricate internal geometries.

The overarching goal of the project is to understand how laser powder bed fusion material can be joined using solid state joining methods. Specifically the following themes will be investigated:

Joining through brazing with a variety of brazing fillers
Joining through diffusion bonding with and without interlayers

Both joining methods are well established for use with conventional materials with a large amount of technical knowhow available. Additionally they allow the joining of complex geometries with minimal microstructural impact. TWI already has both the equipment and the technical background to successfully investigate and propose joining solutions for these novel materials.

Industry Sectors

- Oil & Gas

- Power

- Aerospace

- Defence

Benefits to Industry

Industry will benefit from this project due to the methods and strategies that will be developed to bypass some of the limitations of AM technology. TWI can add value for industry by expanding knowledge of current joining technologies on novel AM materials.