TECH SPACE
Cost And Weight Key Factors In Manufacturing Space Hardware

File image.
by Staff Writers
 Huntsville AL (SPX) Apr 06, 2010
 On Tuesday, March 30, NASA and their industry partners unveiled a revolutionary new manufacturing process that could lower the cost of producing a tank dome - the end piece of a fuel tank - as much as 25 percent by using commercial materials and state-of-the-art technologies in an innovative application.

Manufacturing a traditional tank dome requires welding eight curved, pie-shaped pieces of metal together, and a fitting on the top and bottom.

This requires several costly manufacturing and inspection steps to ensure the welds are acceptable for flight. The new application calls for one weld to join two large flat blank panels together, eliminating at least seven major welds, reducing steps and cost.

This is the first time this combination of technologies and alloy has been successfully applied to produce a full-scale 18-foot-diameter, 2195-aluminum-lithium dome that is lighter, has fewer defects and cost less to develop.

The process employs friction stir welding, a solid state joining process; spin forming, a metal working process used to form symmetric parts; and 2195 aluminum lithium, a higher-strength, lower-density alloy, and could be used in the design of launch vehicles, crew vehicles, habitat modules, and other space hardware.

One additional full-scale development tank dome is scheduled for manufacture and testing in the coming months as part of the joint, four-year technology demonstration program.



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
 - Space Technology News - Applications and Research

TECH SPACE
DLR Conducts ADM-Aeolus Pre-Launch Campaign In Iceland
 Rekjavik, Iceland (SPX) Mar 30, 2010
 Scientists from the German Aerospace Center's Institute of Atmospheric Physics travelled to Iceland for the last of a series of DLR-led technology demonstration campaigns for ESA's meteorological satellite mission, ADM-Aeolus. Its closeness to Greenland and the Atlantic storm track region made the island a perfect base for the test flights with DLR's Falcon research aircraft. The DLR team ... read more
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement