A System for Efficient and Cost Effective Production of Reliable Welded Panels of Beta Titanium Alloys

The overall goal is to develop and market a high technology, dual-use product in the form of a system for efficient and cost effective production of reliable welded panels of the most promising of the existing titanium alloys. The system, called SWET, will have at its core an expert software system, called SWETEX. The systems will help produce optimum quality welds for military and commercial aerospace and aircraft structural applications and automotive applications requiring 1.0 to 3.0 millimeter thick, large welded panels of advanced titanium alloys. The achievement of the overall goal will require innovative research and development to resolve certain key technical issues. In Phase I, the R&D effort will address the following key issues: (a) Toughness in the weld region and load carrying capacity (strength) of welded panels, and (b) The effect of post-weld heat treatment on weld region flow and toughness of laser welded panels. A combined experimental and computational modeling approach is proposed. The work scope includes laser welding, heat treatments, thermoplastic finite element analyses, fracture mechanics testing and analyses, and microscopy. The Phase I deliverable will provide the technical basis for further development of SWETEX in Phase II.