LONGHURST ENGINEERING, PLC

63EN0

2015-03-18

2014-03-19

2010-08-08

NNX13CM30P

View Award on USAspending website

AWARD

PO

125000.00

125000.00

125000.00

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2013-05-23

IGF::OT::IGF LONGHURST ENGINEERING, PLC, AND VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PROPOSE AN IN-SPACE FRICTION STIR WELDING (FSW) MACHINE FOR JOINING COMPLEX STRUCTURAL ALUMINUM COMPONENTS. THE PROPOSED FSW MACHINE IS INNOVATIVE BECAUSE IT CAN BE DEPLOYED BY 2 PEOPLE AND BE USED TO WELD COMPLEX SURFACES THAT EXTEND BEYOND LINEAR WELDING APPLICATIONS. THE IN-SPACE FSW MACHINE IS A 3 AXIS SYSTEM THAT CAN BE MOUNTED TO WORK PIECES OF VARYING GEOMETRY, POSITION, AND ORIENTATION THROUGH THE USE OF A HIGH PERFORMANCE VACUUM SYSTEM OR MECHANICAL CLAMPS. THE KEY ENABLER OF THE PROPOSED FSW MACHINE IS A SELF ADJUSTING AND SELF ALIGNING FSW (SAA-FSW) TOOL THAT ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR AUTOMATED ACTUATORS. IN ADDITION, A COLLECTION OF FORCE REDUCTION TECHNIQUES WILL BE INCLUDED AS PART OF THE SYSTEM. WHEN COMBINED TOGETHER, IT IS THEORIZED THAT THE EFFECT WILL BE SIGNIFICANT AND WILL LEAD TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF FSW BY REDUCING STRUCTURAL RIGIDITY REQUIREMENTS OF FSW MACHINES. OUR WORK PLAN BEGINS BY DETERMINING THE NET EFFECT OF THE COMBINED FORCE REDUCTION TECHNIQUES. SUBSTANTIAL EFFORT IS GIVEN TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PRELIMINARY SAA-FSW TOOL WHICH INCLUDES EXPERIMENTAL WELDING. LASTLY, A PRELIMINARY SET OF ENGINEERING PLANS WILL BE DELIVERED BASED UPON THE RESULTS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAA-FSW TOOL AND FORCE REDUCTION TECHNIQUES.

541712: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY)

AR11: R&D- SPACE: AERONAUTICS/SPACE TECHNOLOGY (BASIC RESEARCH)

NNX11CI39P

View Award on USAspending website

AWARD

PO

-15415.00

0.00

0.00

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2011-09-30

LONGHURST ENGINEERING, PLC AND VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PROPOSE THE INNOVATION OF TORQUE CONTROL OF FRICTION STIR WELDING (FSW) AS A REPLACEMENT TO FORCE CONTROL OF FSW. THE VALUE OF THE TORQUE IS SIGNIFICANT BECAUSE IT INDICATES HOW FAR THE TOOL IS PLUNGED INTO THE WORK PIECE. PROPER ENGAGEMENT OF THE TOOL INTO THE WORK PIECE IS CRITICAL FOR PRODUCING RELIABLE WELDS. THE COMMERCIALIZED INNOVATION WILL CONSIST OF THREE ELEMENTS. FIRST, A FSW TOOL WILL BE DEVELOPED TO PRODUCE A LINEAR RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE WELDING TORQUE AND THE TOOL'S PLUNGE DEPTH INTO THE WORK PIECE. SECOND, THE WELDING TORQUE WILL BE MEASURED FROM OUTSIDE THE WELDING ENVIRONMENT VIA THE SPINDLE MOTOR CURRENT, THUS ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR EXPENSIVE FORCE SENSORS ASSOCIATED WITH FORCE CONTROL. THIRD, A CLOSED-LOOP ARCHITECTURE WILL BE DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED TO CONTROL THE WELDING TORQUE. TORQUE CONTROL OF FSW CAN BE APPLIED BY NASA TO INCREASE WELDING RELIABILITY WITH THE UPPER STAGE OF THE ARES I LAUNCH VEHICLE. TORQUE CONTROL WILL ALSO REDUCE CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND OPERATIONS COSTS FOR NASA. THE EXPECTED TRL IS 4 AT THE BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT AND 5 AT THE END OF PHASE I.

541712: RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (EXCEPT BIOTECHNOLOGY)

AR11: R&D-AERO & SPACE TECH-B RES