View source for Engineering:Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding

'''Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding''' ('''SPF/DB''') is a technique allowing the manufacture of complex-shaped hollow metallic parts.  It combines [[Engineering:Superplastic forming|Superplastic forming]] (SPF) with a second element "Diffusion Bonding" to create the completed structures.
==Principle==
Two metal sheets are welded together at their edges, then heated within the confines of a female mould tool.

When the part is hot, an inert gas is injected between the two sheets ; the part becomes hollow to the form of the mould.<ref name=spt>Spittle, Peter. [http://users.encs.concordia.ca/~kadem/Rolls%20Royce.pdf "Gas turbine technology"] p508, ''Rolls-Royce plc'', 2003. Retrieved: 13 June 2014.</ref> Parts may be welded in other areas than the edges to give an internal structure as the sheets are blown.

==Applications==
* Hollow titanium blades for [[Engineering:Jet engine|jet engine]]s.<ref name=spt/>
* Military aircraft structures such the aft fuselage of the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle.<ref name=f15>{{cite web|publisher=F-15E.info|author=Sabc|title=Airframe in General|url=http://www.f-15e.info/joomla/en/technology/airframe/60-airframe-in-general|accessdate=2014-06-13}}</ref> [[Company:McDonnell Douglas|McDonnell Douglas]] (McDonnell Aircraft Company) developed the production equipment and tooling technology in St. Louis during the mid-1980s through the leadership of engineers Ray Kittelson, Vern Mueller, David Rohe and Duane Jennings.

==See also==
* [[Physics:Superplasticity|Superplasticity]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Metal forming]]



{{Sourceattribution|Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding}}