FUSION WELDING OF AL/SIC(P) COMPOSITES

THE PROPOSED RESEARCH WILL EXAMINE METHODS FOR GMAW WELDING OF AL/SIC(P) COMPOSITE BASE MATERIALS WITH SMALL DIAMETER EXTRUDED AL/SIC(P) COMPOSITE WELDING ELECTRODE WIRES. FEASIBILITY OF THE EXTRUSION PROCESS FOR PRODUCING THE REQUIRED SMALL DIAMETER WIRES AND BUTT WELDING OF EXTRUDED LENGTHS TO FORM CONTINUOUS WIRES HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN DEMONSTRATED. THE PROJECT WILL FOCUS ON PRODUCTION OF LARGER QUANTITIES OF EXTRUDED COMPOSITE ELECTRODE WIRES, EVALUATION OF SAME FOR SHORT CIRCUIT TRANSFER AND PULSED GMAW WELDING OF COMPOSITE BASE PLATES AND COMBINED NONDESTRUCTIVE AND DESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION OF THE PROTOTYPE WELDS. IN ADDITION COMPOSITE ELECTRODE WIRES WILL BE PROVIDED TO AMTL FOR INDEPENDENT EVALUATION AND WELDABILITY STUDIES. THE COMPOSITE ELECTRODES ARE EXPECTED TO FIND COMMERCIAL AND/OR MILITARY APPLICATIONS IN JOINING AND REPAIR OF METAL MATRIX COMPOSITE STRUCTURES.