Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications
Rotary friction welding is a solid-state welding process that can manufacture high-integrity joints between similar and dissimilar materials with short weld times. However, access to expensive and complex industrial-grade friction welding machines is not always possible. This study explores the desi...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/27 |
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| author | Michail Dellepiane Laurie Da Silva Athanasios Toumpis |
| author_facet | Michail Dellepiane Laurie Da Silva Athanasios Toumpis |
| author_sort | Michail Dellepiane |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rotary friction welding is a solid-state welding process that can manufacture high-integrity joints between similar and dissimilar materials with short weld times. However, access to expensive and complex industrial-grade friction welding machines is not always possible. This study explores the design process and functionality of a laboratory-scale friction welding setup following the fundamentals of large-scale machinery. The proposed setup is designed to be easily manufactured, employing the use of a calibrated drill press and load cell, thus ensuring welding parameters such as rotational speed and applied axial load are monitored. The decision to investigate rotary friction welding of aluminium bronze Ca104 to austenitic stainless steel AISI316 was taken to explore the limitations of this bespoke friction welding machine for prospective applications in the nuclear energy sector. The workpieces were friction welded at four sets of rotational speeds with constant friction and forging pressures. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the dissimilar material welds were investigated via optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, 4-point bend testing and microhardness measurements. Results show a change in the hardness along the weld interface and evidence of metallic diffusion between the dissimilar materials, demonstrating the successful application of the small-scale experimental setup. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-82914c7a76c2447bb58efe5de224ba5e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2504-4494 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing |
| spelling | doaj-art-82914c7a76c2447bb58efe5de224ba5e2025-01-24T13:36:29ZengMDPI AGJournal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing2504-44942025-01-01912710.3390/jmmp9010027Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear ApplicationsMichail Dellepiane0Laurie Da Silva1Athanasios Toumpis2Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKAdvanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC), University of Strathclyde, Renfrewshire PA4 9LJ, UKDepartment of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XJ, UKRotary friction welding is a solid-state welding process that can manufacture high-integrity joints between similar and dissimilar materials with short weld times. However, access to expensive and complex industrial-grade friction welding machines is not always possible. This study explores the design process and functionality of a laboratory-scale friction welding setup following the fundamentals of large-scale machinery. The proposed setup is designed to be easily manufactured, employing the use of a calibrated drill press and load cell, thus ensuring welding parameters such as rotational speed and applied axial load are monitored. The decision to investigate rotary friction welding of aluminium bronze Ca104 to austenitic stainless steel AISI316 was taken to explore the limitations of this bespoke friction welding machine for prospective applications in the nuclear energy sector. The workpieces were friction welded at four sets of rotational speeds with constant friction and forging pressures. The microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of the dissimilar material welds were investigated via optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy, 4-point bend testing and microhardness measurements. Results show a change in the hardness along the weld interface and evidence of metallic diffusion between the dissimilar materials, demonstrating the successful application of the small-scale experimental setup.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/27dissimilar joiningrotary friction welding (RFW)lab-scale machineryAISI316/Ca104 alloysnuclear fusion applicationsmetallurgical investigation |
| spellingShingle | Michail Dellepiane Laurie Da Silva Athanasios Toumpis Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing dissimilar joining rotary friction welding (RFW) lab-scale machinery AISI316/Ca104 alloys nuclear fusion applications metallurgical investigation |
| title | Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications |
| title_full | Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications |
| title_fullStr | Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications |
| title_short | Design and Development of a Bespoke Rotary Friction Welding Machine in Exploration of Joining Dissimilar Materials for Nuclear Applications |
| title_sort | design and development of a bespoke rotary friction welding machine in exploration of joining dissimilar materials for nuclear applications |
| topic | dissimilar joining rotary friction welding (RFW) lab-scale machinery AISI316/Ca104 alloys nuclear fusion applications metallurgical investigation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-4494/9/1/27 |
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