B. Panton, W. McAuley, A. Brimmer, E. Choi, A. Ramirez
The Ohio State University,
United States
Keywords: Welding, Electron Beam, Laser, Aerospace, Space, ISAM, OSAM
Summary:
There are currently no commercialized technologies for welding in space; neither have there been any extensive in-space investigations of potential technologies for welding in space. Welding is an enabling manufacturing technology used in 90% of terrestrial goods, and it is a critical technology for On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing. Whether assembling components sent up by rocket from earth, or harvesting materials in-space, welding will be needed to repair, build, and maintain habitats, tools, communication, transportation, and power generation in space. Electron beam and laser welding are energy efficient processes, which have been proven to fabricate high quality welds in vacuum. They are ‘high energy density’ processes which means they concentrate a very high energy (i.e. kilowatts) in a very local area (i.e. microns). The effect of this concentration is that the majority of the energy goes to melting the metal and creating a weld. There is significantly less waste energy compared to traditional processes such as arc welding, making electron beam and laser processes ideal for use in the cold temperatures of space. This concentration of heat also ensures that only specific areas of interest are heated, and no unintended damage occurs to other areas of a structure. Furthermore laser and electron beam processes have few consumables (i.e. consumed parts, gas) compared to traditional processes and no motors required compared to many solid state processes. The cost of shipping to space would make it economically infeasible to transport gas cylinders, large wire spools, and the vacuum of space makes traditional motors inoperable. Until these items are solved most welding processes will be unsuitable or economically imprudent for welding in space. In a comparison of processes, electron beam and laser welding have the lowest barrier to entry for welding in-space. The investigators are actively engaged in developing laser welding technologies for space in partnership with NASA, the AFRL, the State of Ohio, and numerous industrial partners. They are also actively pursuing electron beam welding technologies and seeking government and industrial partnership to support transition of these technologies from terrestrial to in-space manufacturing.