TWI Industrial Member Report Summary 961/2010
by A C Addison
Background
Linear friction welding (LFW) is a solid state joining method which uses linear reciprocating motion as a source of frictional heating. It is capable of making joints of consistently high quality in a range of materials, under a range of process conditions and with a wide range of component shapes.
The first LFW trials in metals were conducted at TWI in the 1970s using a modified orbital friction welding machine and confidential research and development work on LFW has continued at TWI since this time. The result is that there exists at TWI an LFW team with extensive experience of LFW and how to apply the process. However, due to the nature of much of the work carried out in this area, but there is limited information available in the public domain.
Because of this it was decided to perform a series of investigations which will make available more detailed knowledge of LFW. The experience of the TWI project team, coupled with the nature of enquiries received, has been used to guide the scope of work and the manner in which the work has been undertaken. This report is designed to give an understanding of the process flexibility, reliability, productivity and limitations of LFW, allowing an engineer to make informed judgements about the suitability of an application for LFW.
Objectives
The objectives of this work programme are to build upon basic process knowledge, to allow an engineer unfamiliar with LFW to consider its use in their own products by:
- Quantifying the scalability, application, repeatability and production rate limits of LFW.
- Establishing the repairability of LFW components.
- Investigating the viability of LFW for manufacture of low volume near net shape preforms.