Bae Systems, Inc.

Howard James Price

John Chippendale

Robert William Greenhalgh

Peter Neil Stewart

Sean Gallagher

David Peter Pearson

John Francis Parker

A method of fabricating, at least in part, an article from a precursor thereof, the method comprising: providing the precursor, wherein the precursor comprises a metal having a closed pore therein; and hot isostatic pressing, HIPing, the precursor at an Nth temperature of a set of temperatures, at an Nth pressure of a set of pressures and for an Nth duration of a set of durations, thereby fabricating, at least in part, the article; wherein HIPing the precursor comprises regulating the set of temperatures, the set of pressures and/or the set of durations to control, at least in part, a morphology of the closed pore.

Powder hot isostatic pressing cycle

A method of manufacturing an article is described. At S, the method comprises obtaining a first layer having a first face and a reverse second face, wherein the first layer comprises and/or is a first metal and wherein the first metal is a heat treatable first aluminium alloy. At S, the method comprises providing a second layer on the first face of the first layer by cold spraying particles comprising a second metal thereupon, wherein the second metal is a second aluminium alloy. At S, the method comprises depositing a third layer on the second layer by additive friction stir deposition using a third metal, wherein the third metal is a third aluminium alloy.

Additive friction stir deposition on cold sprayed barrier layer

A method of forming a metal component from metal powder which includes exposing the metal powder to an inert gas; consolidating the metal powder into a solid metal; followed by exposing the solid metal to a hot isostatic pressing process to form a metal component, wherein the hot isostatic pressing process has one initial compression cycle followed by at least one decompression and recompression cycle.

Hot isostatic pressing consolidation of powder derived parts

A method of manufacturing a part, the method involving providing an apparatus, the apparatus having a metal skin component; a metal HIP can and a hollow space between a portion of the HIP can and a portion of the skin component, the method further involving filling the HIP can with a metal powder; evacuating the HIP can; sealing the evacuated HIP can; and applying a HIP process to the apparatus in a HIP chamber so as to form the part.

Powder hot isostatic pressing

A process and apparatus for forming a structure comprising: a) forming a pack from a skin sheet and a core sheet, wherein venting grooves are formed in a surface of a sheet that is adjacent to the other sheet; b) placing the pack in a mould and heating the pack; c) injecting a first gas between the core and skin sheets to urge the skin sheet against the mould; d) injecting a second gas on the side of the core sheet remote from the skin sheet to urge the core sheet against the skin sheet; e) maintaining gas pressure of the second gas thereby diffusion bonding the sheets; and f) withdrawing some or all of the first gas from the cavity.

Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding process

An airframe () for an air vehicle comprising an outer skin layer () and a support layer () defining a fuselage of said air vehicle, wherein said outer skin layer () is magnetically coupled to said support layer ().

Airframe for an air vehicle

A process of forming a structure by diffusion bonding and superplastic forming includes forming a pack from at least one skin sheet and at least one core sheet, placing the pack in a mould and heating it. A gas is injected between the skin sheet and the core sheet to urge the skin sheet against an internal face of the mould, thereby forming a cavity. Gas is also injected on the other side of the core sheet to urge it against the skin sheet, and gas pressure is maintained on said side of the core sheet thereby forming a diffusion bond between the skin sheet and the core sheet. Helium gas is used to maintain a regulated pressure of helium in the cavity between the skin sheet and the core sheet, which allows such gas trapped between the skin sheet and the core sheet to diffuse through the core sheet.

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Blackburn, United Kingdom

Howard James Price