Andreas Bachmann (left) watches through a safety glass as the robot welds two metal plates together with the rapidly rotating welding pin. (Image from 2016) Image: Giacomo Costanzi / TUM
Andreas Bachmann ( left ) watches through a safety glass as the robot welds two metal plates together with the rapidly rotating welding pin. (Image from 2016) Image: Giacomo Costanzi / TUM Measurements at the Research Neutron Source help with the development of intelligent welding equipment - When a rocket is launched, the weld seams on the enormous fuel tanks must withstand immense forces. To produce joints with the necessary strength, a process known as "friction stir welding" is used. Scientists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) are working to make this process more efficient. They are using positrons generated by the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) to precisely localize "atomic holes" in the material. The friction stir welding process is increasingly common in applications requiring particularly strong and leakproof joints such as aircraft fuselages, automotive cooling systems or rocket fuel tanks. In contrast to other welding processes, friction stir welding requires no additional consumable materials and temperatures generally remain below the melting point of the workpieces.
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