Ultrasonic Assisted Additive Friction Stir Deposition

Abstract

An apparatus for ultrasonic assisted additive friction stir deposition includes a tool body, including a print head, and a drive motor, adapted for rotating the tool body and the print head. The apparatus further includes a feedstock feeding mechanism, adapted for feeding a feedstock to the print head, and an ultrasonic horn assembly, adapted for superimposing ultrasonic vibrations onto the tool body and the print head. Still further, the apparatus includes a substate upon which layer on layer of feedstock material is deposited. Frictional heat, generated by stirring action of the rotating print head, and ultrasonic energy, generated by the ultrasonic horn assembly, function together to provide more uniform temperature distribution and enhance the quality of the feedstock material deposition.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.