LabVIEW Control for the Inertia Friction Welder |
|
work completed from 9/1/2001 to 5/13/2002 |
|
| Team Members | Barton, Daniel Calpin, Erin Swope, Earl |
| Abstract | Friction changes mechanical energy into thermal energy. The energy stored in a rotating flywheel is released thermally through friction at the weld area. The friction heats the metal, which mixes and cools to form a solid rod. For round stock, friction welding is better than conventional welding because it reduces the occurrence of hollow spots inside the weld area. As an added benefit, a friction weld is stronger than a conventional weld because friction welding does not use a filler material. Carmen (Hartz) Pettitt and William Pettitt introduced friction welding to the Messiah College Engineering Department in 1996. The process to automate the first friction-welding prototype was initiated the next year. Jeremy Lauer and Steven Kriebel ('97 - '98) and Dan Hallowell and Jonathan Knight ('98 - '99) both worked on automating the process. Our project improved the automation of the friction welding process in each of the process' five areas: control, safety, rotation, pressure, and weld area. Our team consists of Daniel Barton, Erin Calpin and Earl Swope. Dr. Timothy Whitmoyer will advise us. This project is sponsored by the Messiah College Engineering Department. We have also enlisted the help of several consultants: Mr. Greg Hewitt from Rockwell Automation; Mr. Ken Gossett from CEI Electrohydraulic Controls; Mr. Dan Kuruzar from Manufacturing Technologies INC; Dr. Charles Albright from Ohio State University; Mr. Len Kapp from Ram Motors and Controls; and Mr. John Meyer from Messiah College. |
| Connected Materials |
|