Technology for welding titanium alloy and aluminium developed by Novosibirsk scientists

Scientists of the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics SB RAS (ITPM) have mastered the technology of welding titanium alloy and aluminium, ITPM research head Academician Vasily Fomin said at a general meeting of the department on Friday.

"Titanium alloy and aluminium - do not weld with each other. So it was suggested to put a thin layer of magnesium or copper, very thin, between these two materials, and these materials are perfectly welded," he said.

At the same time, the scientist noted, the result is a joint with good strength.

In general, Fomin noted that welding technologies are especially relevant for aircraft building to replace riveted joints with welded ones, which gives a significant gain in the weight of the aircraft.

As previously reported, ITPM specialists were the first to obtain a weld with the same ultimate strength as the base material by laser welding.

Unlike classical welding methods, laser welding has a unique feature - dagger penetration. By using nanoparticles of special ceramics which are mixed with the material in the melt and become centres of crystallisation, long dendrite crystals are avoided and the strength of the joint is increased several times. In aircraft construction, this method will make it possible to move from riveted joints to welded joints in the future.