Session: 02-07-01: Advanced Material Forming, Friction Stir Welding, and Deformation

Paper Number: 69634

Start Time: Thursday, 12:50 PM

69634 - The Development of a Machine for Macroscale Friction Stir Processing: A Work in Progress 

Friction stir processing has become a popular method for welding, surface treatment, and more recently for producing extrusions such as tubing and cylinders. The extrusions produced frequently have diameters from 6 to 19 millimeters because they are being produced in tooling that must be placed in conventional CNC mills located within university research settings and thus have limited available power as well as limited ability for plunge forces.

The proposed machine is intended to result in a purpose built machine for studying large diameter friction stirred cylinders and tubes that are up to 125 mm long and 50 mm in diameter. Unlike conventional CNC machines, the machine is designed to accommodate the temperatures generated by the probe rotating against the work piece as well as the high plunge forces generated by the extrusion processes which can damage the bearings, motor shaft and motor in conventional CNC mills. The need to produce larger friction stir processed parts in important because the friction stir process results in material properties that may be advantages in parts, may be part of an additive manufacturing process, and be useful as a preprocessing stage for metal recycling operations. That can reduce energy costs and product contamination.

The current project describes the Phase 1 in the development of a plunge friction stir processing machine capable of producing extrusions the 125 mm long 50 mm in diameter of A-1100 aluminum and smaller diameters of harder alloys.  This phase of the project consists of the development of the machine frame, motor spindle speed controller, tooling and a method for plunging the probe into the work piece and is nearing completion. Phase 2 will consist of implementing feedback and control implementation of the process by controlling spindle speed with a feedback loop, and plunge rate control that may use tooling temperature and plunge force as process parameters that are controlled using a PLC as well as monitoring the motor temperatures.

The design process will be summarized, including forces and temperatures expected during friction stir processing. The evolution of the design will be summarized with emphasis on the final design. The current status of the project is the machine has been designed and the major components have been purchased and are being assembled. The speed controller for the 10 HP AC motor, the rotating probe plunge system, tooling mounting system, and machine frame are in the process of being assembled. The probe plunge system has been designed and in being produced commercially. The motor speed control system for the rotating probe has been implemented and tested. Once the machine is assembled, preliminary testing for verifying the components and system will be performed. Once Phase 1 verification is completed, Phase 2, which consists of implementing process control and the PLC controller will be performed.  

Presenting Author: William Emblom University Of Louisiana

Authors:

William J. Emblom Emblom Engineering
Ayotunde Olayinka Unversity of Louisiana
Jared Marcel Unversity of Louisiana
Joshua Ferrara Unversity of Louisiana
Scott DePaula Unversity of Louisiana
Maria Fernanda Espinosa-Perez Unversity of Louisiana
Scott W. Wagner Michigan Technological University