Bae Systems, Inc.

Andrew David Wescott

Jagjit Sidhu

Mark Alfred Potter

Amir Rezai

David Baker

Daniel Peter Graham

Benjamin Richard Moreland

Apparatus and a method for forming a metallic component by additive layer manufacturing are provided. The method includes the steps of using a heat source such as a laser to melt the surface of a work piece and form a weld pool; adding wire or powdered metallic material to the weld pool and moving the heat source relative to the work piece so as to progressively form a new layer of metallic material on the work piece; applying forced cooling to the formed layer; stress relieving the cooled layer by applying a peening step, for example with a pulsed laser, and repeating the above steps as required to form the component layer by layer.

Additive layer manufacturing

A method for forming a joint between a fiber reinforced composite component and a metallic component and a joint are provided. The metallic component and the composite component each define a joint surface for mating with the joint surface of the other to join the two components together and the composite component defines a free surface opposed to the joint surface thereof. The joint surface of the metallic component defines an array of pins extending therefrom with each pin defining a pin head at an end distal from the joint surface. The method includes the steps of pressing together the joint surfaces of the two components whereby to cause the array of pins to penetrate through the fiber reinforcing material, and modifying the effective cross sectional shape of the pin heads whereby to increase the constraint applied to the composite component against peeling of the composite component from the joint surface of the metallic component.

Hybrid joint manufacturing

Apparatus and a method for forming a metallic component by additive layer manufacturing are provided. The method includes the steps of mounting a work piece () to ALM manufacturing apparatus including measuring means in the form of load cells () to measure stresses tending to distort the work piece, using a laser heat source () to apply heat to a surface () of the work piece () sufficient to melt it; adding metallic material to the melted surface () and moving the heat source () relative to the work piece () whereby progressively to form a layer () of metallic material on it; repeating the above steps as required, whereby progressively to form the component and, while doing so, measuring stresses tending to distort the component with the load cells () and, if they are above a predetermined threshold, stress relieving the work piece with means such as a pulsed laser () while still mounted to the apparatus to reduce distortion to a predetermined level, and again repeating above steps as required to complete the component. A computer () may be included to control the whole process.

A selective layer melting or other additive layer fabrication method in which powdered material is fused by heating it with a pulsed laser, the pulses being modulated while the laser is traversing the substrate so as to control the thickness and/or width of the layer being formed. Initial layers of the fabrication structure may be formed more thickly than subsequent layers, e.g. by means of a CW laser, to reduce distortion. This aspect of the invention may be employed independently of the use of a pulsed laser to form the subsequent layers.

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Bristol, United Kingdom

Andrew David Wescott