Welding process for large structures
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorAttila Szabo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A welding method that utilizes a friction stir welding (FSW) technique to weld large structures, for example, very large cylindrical tower sections of wind turbines. The method involves welding at least two workpieces together by metallurgically joining faying surfaces of the workpieces. The workpieces are placed together so that their faying surfaces face each other and a joint region is defined by and between the faying surfaces. The workpieces are then friction stir welded together by forcing a tool into the joint region, rotating the tool about an axis thereof to cause the tool to penetrate the joint region, and causing the tool to travel along the joint region to form a weld joint that metallurgically joins the faying surfaces and produces a welded assembly comprising the workpieces.
Claims20
A method of welding at least two workpieces together by metallurgically joining faying surfaces of the workpieces, the method comprising:
- placing the workpieces together so that the faying surfaces thereof face each other to define a gap therebetween of about 2 millimeters in at least one location and define a joint region having a thickness of greater than one centimeter;
- friction stir welding the workpieces together by forcing a tool into the joint region, rotating the tool about an axis thereof to cause a portion of the tool to penetrate the joint region and heat the faying surfaces via frictional contact, and causing the tool to travel along the joint region to form a weld joint that metallurgically joins the faying surfaces and produces a welded assembly comprising the workpieces;
- and then withdrawing the tool from the joint region by causing the tool to travel onto a wedge disposed on the joint region, the wedge being configured to cause the tool to completely withdraw from the joint region as the tool travels on the wedge without creating an exit hole in the weld joint.
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A method of fabricating a wind turbine tower, the method comprising:
- placing two cylindrical sections together so that the cylindrical sections axially abut each other, faying surfaces of the cylindrical sections face each other, and a joint region is defined by and between the faying surfaces that extends circumferentially around and between the cylindrical sections, the joint region having a thickness of greater than one centimeter and comprising a gap of about two millimeters at at least one location between the faying surfaces;
- supporting the cylindrical sections with a backing member such that the cylindrical sections are between the backing member and a friction stir welding tool that comprises a shoulder and a probe that protrudes in an axial direction of the tool from the shoulder;
- and then
- friction stir welding the cylindrical sections together without melting the faying surfaces by forcing the probe of the friction stir welding tool into the joint region at a circumferential location of the joint region, rotating the friction stir welding tool about an axis thereof to cause the friction stir welding tool to penetrate the joint region and heat the faying surfaces via frictional contact, and causing the friction stir welding tool to travel along the joint region to form a weld joint that metallurgically joins the faying surfaces and produces a welded assembly comprising the cylindrical sections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.