34 research outputs found
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Assessment of stress-strain data suitable for finite-element elastic--plastic analysis of shipping containers
Stress-strain data which describes the influence of strain rate and temperature on the mechanical response of materials presently being used for light water reactor fuel shipping containers have been assembled. Selection of data has been limited to that which is suitable for use in finite-element elastic--plastic analysis of shipping containers (e.g., they must include complete material history profiles). Based on this information, recommendations have been made for further work which is required to complete the necessary data base
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Case history of tantalum-weld cracking
Tantalum welding is normally a routine operation. Of course, the routine involves careful cleaning beforehand, and welding in an atmosphere which excludes reactive gases (O/sub 2/, N/sub 2/, H/sub 2/). Recently a weld cracking problem was encountered at SNLA despite the fact that normal precautions had been taken. This account reviews what happened, the analytical procedures followed to determine the unusual source of the problem, and the remedy which solved the problem
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The effect of heat sinks in GTA microwelding
When miniature devices containing glass-to-metal seals are closure welded it is accepted practice to incorporate thermal heat sinks into the fixturing. This is intended to assure that the heat from gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding will not cause thermal stress-induced cracking of the seals and loss of hermeticity. The design of these heat sinks has never been systematically studied; instead only ''engineering horse sense'' has been applied. This practice has been successful in the past; however, the component being GTA welded have become smaller and more complex (i.e., more pins) and glass cracking problems are being encountered. The technology of producing glass seal-containing lids (called ''headers'') has benefited from finite element analyses in deciding how to optimally dimension pin-to-glass seal diameter ratios and glass-to-metal thickness ratios in order to minimize thermal stresses locked in during manufacture. It appeared likely that an analysts of the stresses generated by welding would also be beneficial. Recently, computer speed and code capabilities have increased to the point where finite element analysis of a close simulation of real hardware can be made, including the effect of external heat sinks. The work reported here involves an analysis (with some supporting experimental data) of a miniature thermal battery which encountered glass cracking problems. In the course of the analysis various heat sink practices were examined. Among other findings, through-thickness thermal gradients in a header with a heat sink were found to equal in-plane thermal gradients in a header without any heat sinking at the glass seal positions. Also noted were significant variations due to relatively minor changes in the weld preparation geometry. A summary of good practice for heat sinking will be presented. 4 refs., 6 figs., 2 tabs
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A comparison of LBW and GTAW processes in miniature closure welds
When small electronic components with glass-to-metal seals are closure welded, residual stresses developed in the glass are of concern. If these stresses exceed allowable tensile levels` the resulting weld-induced seal failure may cause the entire component to be scrapped or reworked at substantial cost. Conventional wisdom says the best welding process for these applications is that which provides the least heat input, and that Laser Beam Welding (LBW) provides less heat input than Gas Tungsten Arc Welding. (GTAW); however, other concerns such as weld fit-up, part variability, and material weldability can modify the final choice of a welding process. In this paper we compare the characteristic levels of heat input and the residual stresses generated in the glass seals for the two processes (as calculated by 3D Finite Element Analysis) as a function of heat input and travel speed, and contrast some of the other manufacturing decisions that must be made to choose a production process. The geometry chosen is a standing edge corner weld in a cylindrical container about 20 mm diameter by 35 mm tall. Four metal pins are glassed into the part lid. The stresses calculated to result from continuous wave C0{sub 2} LBW are compared with those that result from GTAW. The total energy required by the laser weld is significantly less than for the equivalent size GTA weld. The energy input required for a given size weld is inversely proportional to the travel speed, but approaches a saturation level as the travel speed increases. LBW travel speeds ranging from 10 mm/sec to 50 mm/sec were examined
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The effect of travel speed on thermal response in CO{sub 2} laser welding of small electronic components
A comprehensive three-dimensional numerical investigation of the effect of beat source travel speed on temperatures and resulting thermal stresses was performed for CO{sub 2}-laser welding. The test specimen was a small thermal battery header containing several stress-sensitive glass-to-metal seals surrounding the electrical connections and a temperature sensitive ignitor located under the header near the center. Predictions of the thermal stresses and temperatures in the battery header were made for several travel speeds of the laser. The travel speeds examined ranged from 10mm/sec to 50mm/sec. The results indicate that faster weld speeds result in lower temperatures and stresses for the same size weld. This is because the higher speed welds are more efficient, requiring less energy to produce a given weld. Less energy absorbed by the workpiece results in lower temperatures, which results in lower stresses
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Measurement and calculation of recoil pressure produced during CO{sub 2} laser interaction with ice
Evaporation is a classical physics problem which, because of its significant importance for many engineering applications, has drawn considerable attention by previous researchers. Classical theoretical models [Ta. I. Frenkel, Kinetic Theory of Liquids, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1946] represent evaporation in a simplistic way as the escape of atoms with highest velocities from a potential well with the depth determined by the atomic binding energy. The processes taking place in the gas phase above the rapidly evaporating surface have also been studied in great detail [S.I.Anisimov and V. A. Khokhlov, Instabilities in Lasser-Matter Interaction, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1995]. The description of evaporation utilizing these models is known to adequately characterize drilling with high beam intensity, e.g., >10{sup 7} W/cm{sup 2}. However, the interaction regimes when beam intensity is relatively low, such as during welding or cutting, lack both theoretical and experimental consideration of the evaporation. It was shown recently that if the evaporation is treated in accordance with Anisimov et.al.'s approach, then predicted evaporation recoil should be a substantial factor influencing melt flow and related heat transfer during laser beam welding and cutting. To verify the applicability of this model for low beam intensity interaction, the authors compared the results of measurements and calculations of recoil pressure generated during laser beam irradiation of a target. The target material used was water ice at {minus}10 C. The displacement of a target supported in a nearly frictionless air bearing under irradiation by a defocused laser beam from a 14 kW CO{sub 2} laser was recorded and Newton's laws of motion used to derive the recoil pressure