초록 ▼

A stack of titanium sheets are placed on a worktable in a vacuum chamber. One of the mating surfaces of each pair of mating surfaces has had a stop off material applied in a desired pattern to prevent diffusion bonding. A pump evacuates the vacuum chamber and heaters heat the stack to evaporate vola

A stack of titanium sheets are placed on a worktable in a vacuum chamber. One of the mating surfaces of each pair of mating surfaces has had a stop off material applied in a desired pattern to prevent diffusion bonding. A pump evacuates the vacuum chamber and heaters heat the stack to evaporate volatile binder from the stop off. When all the binder has been removed the worktable is moved relative to an electron beam from a gun to weld the edges of the sheets together to form a sealed assembly. The volatile binder is removed quickly and oxidation of the titanium is prevented during baking out of the binder. The sealed assembly is then heated and externally pressurised to diffusion bond the sheets together. The integral structure is then heated and internally pressured to superplastically form one of the sheets to produce an article of predetermined shape.

대표청구항 ▼

A vacuum chamber for use in processing at least two metal workpieces for diffusion bonding and superplastic forming, the workpieces having edges and being arranged in a stack with a stop off material applied to a mating surface between the workpieces, the stop off material including a volatile binde

A vacuum chamber for use in processing at least two metal workpieces for diffusion bonding and superplastic forming, the workpieces having edges and being arranged in a stack with a stop off material applied to a mating surface between the workpieces, the stop off material including a volatile binder, said chamber, comprising pump means arranged to evacuate the vacuum chamber, an energy beam welding means disposed to direct a welding beam into said chamber along a path, heater means arranged to directly heat the stack of at least two metal workpieces placed in the vacuum chamber to evaporate the volatile binder from the stop off material applied to preselected areas of at least one of the mating surfaces of the metal workpieces, means arranged to cause relative movement between said path of said welding beam of the energy beam welding means and the stack of workpieces placed in the vacuum chamber to allow the edges of the at least two metal workpieces to be welded together.