Global Fastener News

As NASA plans for humans to return to the Moon and eventually explore Mars, a laser beam welding collaboration aims to stimulate in-space manufacturing, SPX reports.

The multi-year effort between NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and The Ohio State University seeks to understand the physical processes of welding on the lunar surface. In particular, the team is investigating the effects of laser beam welding in a combined vacuum and reduced gravity environment. The goal is to increase manufacturing capabilities in space to potentially assemble large structures or make repairs on the Moon, informing NASA’s giant leap of sending astronauts to Mars.

“For a long time, we’ve used fasteners, rivets, or other mechanical means to keep structures that we assemble together in space,” stated Marshall materials scientist Andrew O’Connor, who is NASA’s technical lead for the project. “But we’re starting to realize that if we really want strong joints and if we want structures to stay together when assembled on the lunar surface, we may need in-space welding.”

The ability to weld structures in space would also eliminate the need to transport rivets and other materials, reducing payloads for space travel.

Researchers are gathering data on welding under simulated space conditions, such as temperature and heat transfer in a vacuum; the size and shape of the molten area under a laser beam; how the weld cross-section looks after it solidifies; and how mechanical properties change for welds performed in environmental conditions mimicking the lunar surface, according to SPX.

“Once you leave Earth, it becomes more difficult to test how the weld performs, so we are leveraging both experiments and computer modeling to predict welding in space while we’re still on the ground,” O’Connor explained.

In August, a project team achieved high-powered fiber laser beam welding aboard a commercial aircraft that simulated reduced gravity similar to that of both low Earth orbit and lunar gravity.

Researchers are studying the data to understand the effects of space environments on the welding process and welded material.

“During the flights we successfully completed 69 out of 70 welds in microgravity and lunar gravity conditions, realizing a fully successful flight campaign,” added Will McAuley, an Ohio State welding engineering student.

The university team trained alongside Marshall personnel, learning how to operate flight hardware and sharing lessons from previous parabolic flight experiments.

The last time NASA welded in space was during the Skylab mission in 1973.

Practical welding and joining methods and allied processes, including additive manufacturing, will be essential to repurposing and repairing critical space infrastructure. In-space welding could expedite building large habitats in low Earth orbit.

The research is also relevant to understanding how laser beam welding occurs on Earth. Industries could use data to inform welding processes, which are critical to a host of manufactured goods from cars and refrigerators to skyscrapers.