Magnetic Pulse Welder for In-Field Repair of Non-Weldable Aluminum Alloys

The U.S. Army wishes to use new aluminum alloy components in next generation vehicles to reduce weight and improve ballistic protection performance. While such components can be fabricated, the Army has not adopted their use because adequate welding technology does not exist for repair in the field. The objective of the R&D in this SBIR is to develop a new type of portable welder capable of performing the repairs for these components. Grid Logic’s approach is to create a small version of Magnetic Pulse Welding technology that will propel filler material at extremely high velocity toward the part to be repaired; forming a solid state cold weld. This device will be made possible by a novel pulsed magnetic field transducer, developed by Grid Logic, capable of accelerating the filler material to the necessary velocities. Grid Logic demonstrated the feasibility of this pulsed magnetic field transducer in Phase I. In the proposed Phase II project, Grid Logic will develop a pre-commercial, prototype of the new welding system that can be used for in-field repair of non-weldable aluminum alloy parts. The system will be internally tested and delivered to the Army for further evaluation at the end of the project.