Laser Hybrid Welding And Control For Titanium Alloys(1000-657)

The Laser Hybrid Welding (LHW) process has been developed in the Phase I project to join titanium alloy. The developing capability will allow the Navy to efficiently use affordable large titanium structures for aircraft, ground vehicles, ships and submarines. The LHW system incorporates a laser, a GMA welding system, and an effectively controlled gas shielding system. The proposed LHW technology has a number of advantages over conventional laser-alone or GMAW-alone processes that include a deep weld penetration to be reached in a single pass, a high welding speed, least filler materials, minimum pre-weld preparation, reduction or elimination of spatters associated with Ti-GMAW process, an enhanced tolerance and capability to weld complex configurations, an effective shielding system for persistent protection against contamination in continuous welding process. Triton Systems, Inc, with its team members, will develop the welding, shielding and control technology to most effectively utilize the potential capabilities of the hybrid welding system. In the Phase II project, Triton will also assess the manufacturability of the LHW for titanium alloys and prepare a technology transition plan with the aim of using this advanced LHW process to effectively manufacture large and high quality titanium structures.