Apparatus with a thermoplastic tube to tube-sheet joint and associated friction stir based fabrication method

Abstract

An apparatus and method of manufacturing a thermoplastic tube-to-tube-sheet joint is disclosed. The method provides at least one tube-sheet having a first aperture and a plurality of holes. Further, the at least one tube-sheet fixes into a welding fixture using a plurality of bolts through the holes. The welding fixture has a second aperture. The method inserts a tubular member within the first aperture and the second aperture and fills an adequate molten workpiece material, using an FSW process, in a clearance gap between the tubular member and the at least one tube-sheet. The apparatus includes at least one tube-sheet having a first aperture, a welding fixture having a second aperture, a tubular member inserted into the at least one tube-sheet, and an adequate molten workpiece material, using the FSW process, is filled in a clearance gap between the tubular member and the at least one tube-sheet.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.