US 8,784,065 B2 · Friction welding of titanium aluminide turbine to titanium alloy shaft

Abstract

A frictional welding process for joining a titanium aluminide turbine to a titanium alloy shaft is disclosed. The disclosed process includes preheating the turbine to a designated temperature, providing a specially-designed joining interface geometry at the distal end of the shaft and optimizing the frictional welding parameters. The frictional welding is carried out in multiple steps but, while the shaft is being spun by a rotating chuck, two different pressures and two different time periods are used until the narrower portions of the distal end of the shaft have been fused onto the welding surface of the turbine. Then, an additional forging step with yet another engagement pressure between the shaft and the turbine is carried out without rotation of the shaft.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for joining a first component fabricated from titanium aluminide to a second component fabricated from a titanium alloy by friction welding, the method comprising:

preheating the first component;
rotating the second component and pressing the second component against the first component at a first pressure and for a first time period;
after the first time period expires, rotating the second component and pressing the second component against the first component at a second pressure for a second time period;
after the second time period expires, stopping the rotation of the second component and pressing the second component against the first component at a third pressure for a third time period.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Friction welding of titanium aluminide turbine to titanium alloy shaft

Life of this patent

Friction welding of titanium aluminide turbine to titanium alloy shaft

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20