Title
Indirect Versus Direct Heating of Sheet Materials: Superplastic Forming and Diffusion Bonding Using Lasers
Abbreviated Journal Title
J. Mater. Eng. Perform.
Keywords
laser cleaning; laser heating; laser induced superplasticity; SPF; SPF/DB; titanium; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Abstract
Many from within manufacturing industry consider superplastic forming (SPF) to be 'high tech', but it is often criticized as too complicated, expensive, slow and, in general, an unstable process when compared to other methods of manipulating sheet materials. Perhaps, the fundamental cause of this negative perception of SPF, and also of diffusion bonding (DB), is the fact that the current process of SPF/DB relies on indirect sources of heating to produce the conditions necessary for the material to be formed. Thus, heat is usually derived from the electrically heated platens of hydraulic presses, to a lesser extent from within furnaces and, sometimes, from heaters imbedded in ceramic moulds. Recent evaluations of these isothermal methods suggest they are slow, thermally inefficient and inappropriate for the process. In contrast, direct heating of only the material to be formed by modern, electrically efficient, lasers could transform SPF/DB into the first choice of designers in aerospace, automotive, marine, medical, architecture and leisure industries. Furthermore, 'variable temperature' direct heating which, in theory, is possible with a laser beam(s) may provide a means to control material thickness distribution, a goal of enormous importance as fuel efficient, lightweight structures for transportation systems are universally sought. This paper compares, and contrasts, the two systems and suggests how a change to laser heating might be achieved.
Journal Title
Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance
Volume
19
Issue/Number
4
Publication Date
1-1-2010
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
527
Last Page
532
WOS Identifier
ISSN
1059-9495
Recommended Citation
"Indirect Versus Direct Heating of Sheet Materials: Superplastic Forming and Diffusion Bonding Using Lasers" (2010). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 308.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/308
Comments
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