Primary Inventor: Krishna P. Singh
Contributing Inventor(s): Joseph Albert Meckley, Laszlo Zsidai
Date of Publication: November 26, 2015
Status: Published
Jurisdiction: US
Assignee: Holtec International, Inc.
Equipment Type: Friction Stir Welding
Docket Number: HOL-077, HOL-077-PCT
Publication Number: US 2015/0336204 A1
Application Number: 14/655,897
Related U.S. Publication Data: Provisional application No. 61/746,294, filed on December 27, 2012.
International Publication Number: WO 2014/106044 A1
Abstract: A method and associated system for joining workpieces formed of neutron absorbing materials. The method includes positioning first and second workpieces together to form a joint, heating the first and second workpieces at the joint to a plastic condition, intermingling plastic material from the first and second workpieces together at the joint, and cooling the intermingled plastic material to a solid state forming a welded fusion zone comprised of material from the first and second metal matrix composite workpieces. The workpiece material at the joint is not melted by the heating. The heating may be perforated by frictional heating the materials with a rotary tool, in one non-limiting embodiment, the neutron absorbing workpieces may be formed of metal matrix composites comprising aluminum or aluminum alloy and boron carbide.