Latest news / events
- High pressure H2 equipment - Partners now called to European and UK Collaborative
- Fume emissions from resistance welding through organic coatings
- Low Stress No-Distortion (LSND) - Modelling of aluminium alloy welds
- Improving turbocharger performance (Case study)
- Multi-disciplinary brainstorm aids manufacturer
- Critical review of joining processes for powder metallurgy parts
- Mayor of Chongqing visits TWI
- WJS Branch events
High pressure H2 equipment - Partners now called to European and UK Collaborative
TWI is now ideally placed to use its new high pressure hydrogen facilities as European industry moves towards a hydrogen economy. Already two Collaborative calls have been made relating to use of this equipment.
The lengthy business of commissioning TWI's new facility is nearly complete. The equipment will allow mechanical testing to be carried out in hydrogen pressures of up to 1000bar.
Development of safe, cost effective materials and fabrication routes are priorities for TWI. Richard Pargeter, is on the committee for ISO 11114-4 concerned with testing methods to allow selection of metallic materials resistant to hydrogen embrittlement.
Material will be loaded dynamically in the environment allowing the effect of hydrogen environmental embrittlement on tensile, low cycle fatigue and toughness properties of materials to be quantified. The equipment is expected to be
able to operate over a range of -150 to +85 Celsius.
To learn more click here.
Partners now called to European and UK Collaborative
Two forthcoming Collaborative calls are relevant to this subject area. The first is part of Framework 7 through the Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Joint Technology Initiative. Details of the calls are described in the Implementation Plan and can be downloaded at: https://www.hfpeurope.org/hfp/keydocs
The second call is from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) which is a UK based initiative, and is entitled: Environmental Sustainability: Fuel cells and hydrogen technologies
For more info on other forthcoming and anticipated TSB calls, click here.
Fume emissions from resistance welding through organic coatings
Resistance welding and pyrolysis tests were carried out on weld-through TOCs and oils used in the automotive and white goods industries. The main objective was to develop a test method, suitable for standardisation, for generating emissions data for presentation on MSDSs. To this end, data were generated to identify the components emitted and their relative amounts and, in the case of pyrolysis, the effect of different test temperatures. Pyrolysis and welding data were compared to establish whether sufficient correlation existed that a pyrolysis method alone could be standardised. Consideration was given to a procedure for identifying the most important components for inclusion on MSDSs.
For full report, click here (Members only - Login required)
Low Stress No-Distortion (LSND) - Modelling of aluminium alloy welds
Finite element models have been developed to simulate LSND welding with a trailing heat sink. The LSND technique was applied to a butt and fillet joint in an aluminium alloy.
For full report, click here (Members only- Login required)
Improving turbocharger performance (Case study)
'We need more appropriate materials for the task in hand and more advanced processing, if we are to stay ahead of the competition' is a familiar plea heard by TWI's brainstorming team.
For full article, click here
Multi-disciplinary brainstorm aids manufacturer
When one of the world's biggest car, truck and bus manufacturers needed to join the high tolerance parts of a crucial suspension component it initially drew a blank.
For full article, click here
Critical review of joining processes for powder metallurgy parts
EuroPM2008 International Powder Metallurgy Congress and Exhibition
(29 September - 1 October 2008) Mannheim, Germany
Powder metallurgy (PM) processes have high productivity and are ideal for making near net-shape parts of especially complex geometries from a range of materials, which maximises material utilisation, and hence minimises or eliminates secondary operations such as machining. Secondary operations are common for components made via liquid metal processing, and result in an additional step in manufacturing with substantial cost and waste implications. Despite this obvious advantage of PM processes, however, the joining of materials synthesized from powders has been associated with difficulties related to their inherent characteristics, such as porosity, contamination and inclusions, at levels, which tend to influence the properties of a welded joint.
This paper presents a critical review of the current state-of-art of welding PM components. It also seeks to identify preferred joining processes and identify apparent technology gaps in joining of PM parts, in terms of initial processing and attendant materials issues, with an emphasis on offering solutions to welding problems.
For full paper, click here
Mayor of Chongqing visits TWI
On the 6 August 2008, TWI and COMRI signed, in the presence of the Mayor Mr Wang Hongju, a co-operation agreement to facilitate the transfer of technologies in advanced manufacturing to Chongqing industrial companies. The first project will be a consultancy and training programme in laser welding of thin sheets.
For full article, click here
WJS Branch events
END OF LIFE FOR VEHICLES!
Joint Meeting with IMI East (host)
By: John Kingston (Honda UK)
Canterbury, Kent
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Time: 19:30 hrs, refreshments from 19:00 hrs
For further information, please contact twi_professional@twi.co.uk
Archive
- Assessment of Bobbin Friction Stir Welding for the Joining of Aluminium Alloys
- High pressure hydrogen testing
- Structural performance of components for racing vehicles
- Composites research fuels innovative application
Assessment of Bobbin Friction Stir Welding for the Joining of Aluminium Alloys
The friction stir welding (FSW) process was invented by TWI and was originally developed for industrial exploitation via a TWI Group Sponsored Project (GSP), the Sponsors of which were amongst the first to benefit from the new technology. TWI has recently developed a novel enhancement to the FSW process, which offers the potential to produce improved full penetration welding performance using significantly simplified, and therefore cheaper, equipment. The enhanced process can be implemented in two varieties named fixed and floating bobbin FSW. Bobbin friction stir welding has the potential to be a valuable high productivity manufacturing technique for structures of interest to the transport industries, offering high quality, highly repeatable welds at a competitive cost. It is proposed to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate the capabilities and benefits of bobbin FSW via a new GSP. Participants in the GSP will be ideally placed to become early adopters of the new technique and to benefit from the enhanced capabilities that it offers.
For further information, please click here.
High pressure hydrogen testing
Commissioning trials nearing completion
TWI's capabilities for high pressure hydrogen testing have recently been extended with the development of a new purpose designed test facility. Commissioning trials are almost complete and it is anticipated that the first research programme carried out for an Industrial Member using the facility will commence in October.
The new facility will be capable of operating at 1000bar, within a temperature range of +85 to -150°C. The equipment is designed for testing in high pressure hydrogen but equally can be used for high pressure testing in other environments. A range of tests can be carried out including fatigue, tensile testing and fracture toughness testing.
The equipment supplements TWI's existing facility which is designed to operate up to 450bar at temperatures from ambient up to 85°C. The first facility was initially designed and built in order to carry out a large programme of tests for the Japan Research and Development Centre which is working closely with the TWI Industrial Member, Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC).
The work was part of a large programme being undertaken in Japan to provide data to support the activities in Japan related to the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel. In particular, test data are required to ensure the safe performance of hydrogen storage and handling systems for automotive applications and specifically for hydrogen storage tanks for passenger vehicles. Clearly safety issues are paramount and thus the performance of potential materials needs to be thoroughly researched in the appropriate environment.
The two testing facilities are located in an isolated building, which is also scheduled to house an elevated temperature hydrogen autoclave (for disbonding testing and hydrogen charging) which is being re-located on the Abington site. The building has a test booth for each pressure vessel, and a control room separated from the testing machines by steel doors with a safety interlock. The roof over the test booth is of lightweight construction, and would provide an easy path for any sudden pressure release or explosion. The combination of interlocks, gas and fire detectors and procedures, however, make this an extremely unlikely event.
It is anticipated that demand for the two facilities will be high and testing programmes are already planned. Members requiring more information or enquiring about their availability should contact hydrogen@twi.co.uk.
Structural performance of components for racing vehicles
The performance engineering sector of the UK has always been personified by the high performance technologies applied to Formula One motor racing where the structural performance of components is critical to racing success. TWI has been involved with supporting the materials validation, inspection and joining requirements for several race teams over the years, and recently there has been an increase in the volume of R&D support provided to this sector.
One recent example where TWI has provided support is in the application of its advanced electron beam welding technologies. This particular example related to the fabrication of small pressure vessels manufactured from thin wall titanium. The EB process was used to weld two dome ends to these assemblies. The thin walls of the structure and the predicted in-service conditions meant that the highest degree of quality and joint integrity was required.
Due to the range of specialised equipment and staff on hand, TWI was able to provide a specific technical solution for the fabrication of these critical components which were raced on Formula One cars during the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Composites research fuels innovative application
Composites sandwich panels are gaining popularity in industry for a number of reasons, such as good mechanical strength, electrical insulation properties, resistance to corrosion and ease of use. Now there is an additional requirement to add value, as most industry sectors are looking for ways to improve their products by incorporating additional functionality.
TWI has now developed a mechanism (patent applied for) which enables composite sandwich panels to be formed with integral fuel cells thus providing power to structures containing them.
This approach removes many of the drawbacks associated with current methods of combining polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with laminate or sandwich structures, such as excluding the requirement for complex housing design.
Integrating the PEMFC into a sandwich structure helps prevent the damage or loss of fuel cell functionality when assembling the stack and enables the construction of complex field flow plates to achieve good gas transfer to the electrodes by specific machined channels in the composite laminate.
The initial feasibility study has shown that a very simple single device embedded into a composite can provide power similar to an AA 1.5 volt battery.
TWI has a long history of innovation in joining technology in both the fuel cell and composites fields and is now in need of partners to take this to market.
For more information and to register your interest, please contact Paul Burling. paul.burling@twi.co.uk
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