STTR Friction Stir Processing for Superplastic Forming

In Phase I, technical and commercial feasibility was demonstrated for the application of friction stir processing (FSP) following by superplastic forming (SPF) of a 5083 aluminum alloy, and for FSP following by room temperature bending. An application showing significant promise for FSP followed by SPF is an aluminum water tight door. The use of FSP followed by SPF enables a significant part count reduction, which will yield significantly lower costs. In addition, this combination of technologies will result in a significant reduction in welding, thus reducing distortion and improving quality. In phase II of this project, FSP and SPF will be optimized for production application of these technologies. In addition, a prototype door will be fabricated. This part will be installed by the ship builder for fit and functionality testing purposes. A sponsor and application have also been identified for FSP followed by room temperature bending. The team is proposing that research and development work be carried out for this application. This would involve performing FSP and understanding its room temperature mechanical properties, similar to Phase I for the door application. In addition, a prototype part will be fabricated and installed as part of the proposed Phase II project.