WIRE BASED WELDING PROCESSES FOR IN-ORBIT APPLICATIONS

CONSTRUCTION AND ASSEMBLY OF LARGE STRUCTURES WILL REQUIRE USE OF VARIOUS METAL-JOINING PROCESSES. WELDING IS ONE OF SEVERAL METHODS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR THIS PURPOSE. GAS METAL ARC (GMA) WELDING HAS ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER WELDING PROCESSES (I.E., LASER, ELECTION-BEAM, AND PLASMA ARC WELDING) CONSIDERED FOR USE IN SPACE BECAUSE GMA WELDING IS MORE EASILY SUITED TO MANUAL AND AUTONOMOUS OPERATION AND REQUIRES LESS POWER TO OPERATE, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS ARE CONSIDERABLY LESS. THIS EFFORT WILL EMPIRICALLY DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF GMA WELDING IN A VACUUM AND THEN PROJECT THE INFLUENCES OF WEIGHTLESSNESS, TEMPERATURE, AND REMOTENESS ON THE FEASIBILITY OF USING THIS PROCESS IN SPACE. THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED GMA WELDING SYSTEM WILL MAKE IT A CANDIDATE FOR ASSEMBLY AND MAINTENANCE OF LARGE STRUCTURES IN SPACE. CONSTRUCTION AND ASSEMBLY OF LARGE STRUCTURES WILL REQUIRE USE OF VARIOUS METAL-JOINING PROCESSES. WELDING IS ONE OF SEVERAL METHODS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR THIS PURPOSE. GAS METAL ARC (GMA) WELDING HAS ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER WELDING PROCESSES (I.E., LASER, ELECTION-BEAM, AND PLASMA ARC WELDING) CONSIDERED FOR USE IN SPACE BECAUSE GMA WELDING IS MORE EASILY SUITED TO MANUAL AND AUTONOMOUS OPERATION AND REQUIRES LESS POWER TO OPERATE, AND EQUIPMENT COSTS ARE CONSIDERABLY LESS. THIS EFFORT WILL EMPIRICALLY DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF GMA WELDING IN A VACUUM AND THEN PROJECT THE INFLUENCES OF WEIGHTLESSNESS, TEMPERATURE, AND REMOTENESS ON THE FEASIBILITY OF USING THIS PROCESS IN SPACE. THE SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROPOSED GMA WELDING SYSTEM WILL MAKE IT A CANDIDATE FOR ASSEMBLY AND MAINTENANCE OF LARGE STRUCTURES IN SPACE.