Validation of a system for lifetime assessment of laser welded titanium components

Purpose and goal

Increasing fuel costs and environmental requirements in the air transport industry drives the development of lighter aero-engines. New fabrication techniques for laser welded Titanium engine components requires improved non-destructive testing and evaluation methods for detection and characterization of weld porosity. The purpose of this project is to product quality assurance by correlation of defect information acquired using digital radiography with indicators of structural integrity and component life achieved from fatigue testing of Ti laser welds with porosity.

Expected results and effects

The result of the project show that the digital radiographic system and evaluation technique developed in the project can be applied on laser welded Titanium, and that the system is capable of providing more detailed information on porosity in the weld compared to the information from conventional radiography inspection. The work shows that results from the non-destructive testing system can, not only give the expected defect information, but can also be analyzed with regard to component life together with results from fatigue testing of the corresponding welded material.

Planned approach and implementation

The main part of the work has been performed at Chalmers, but part of the experimental system verification has been performed on site at GKN Aerospace Engine Systems. The project leader GKN has provided input, support and test material for material testing and analysis performed a Chalmers. The project results are of relevance in GKN engineering design and manufacturing of fabricated components, and product quality assurance using digital radiography. Knowledge transfer between industry and academia has worked very well within the project, strengthening existing collaborations.