The Boeing Company

Abar Ipsen Industries, Inc.

Matthew Douglas Carter

Marc Rollo Matsen

Lee Charles Firth

Carey E Wilkinson

Donald K Dabelstein

David Salber

Keith Allen Richmond

Richard G Kummerle

Eric Carl Eide

Carey Eugene Wilkinson

Quench plug systems and their use in heat treating a workpiece. The quench plug system includes a tapered plug having a longitudinal core axis and a mandrel configured to be interposed between the tapered plug and the workpiece. The tapered plug is configured to allow the mandrel to translate along the core axis of the tapered plug when the workpiece is heated.

Quench plug systems and their use

One aspect of the disclosure relates to a method of making a part from at least one elemental metal powder. The part has a near-net shape, a part volume, and a part density. The method includes providing a sintered preform having a sintered density and separating a portion from the sintered preform. The portion has a portion volume exceeding the part volume and a portion shape different from the near-net shape of the part. The method also includes thermally cycling the portion for a thermal-cycling time period at a thermal-cycling pressure while superplastically deforming the portion to form the part having the near net shape and the part density.

Methods of making parts from at least one elemental metal powder

A method and friction welding system for friction welding. Metallic components are positioned such that welding surfaces of the metallic components contact each other. A metallic component in the metallic components has a relief feature adjacent to a welding surface for the metallic component. The welding surfaces are moved relative to each other while the welding surfaces are in contact such that solid-state joining of the metallic components at the welding surfaces occurs to form a structure. The relief feature causes a material from at least one of the metallic components to form with respect to the relief feature in a manner that enables performing an additional solid-state joining operation with the structure at a subsequent welding surface on the structure without removing flash.

Friction welding system

A method for induction heating a workpiece made of a material such as ferrous material or alloy is carried out by placing a non-magnetic conductive shield in proximity to a current concentrating surface of the workpiece and exposing the workpiece with a shield in place to a time varying magnetic field. The magnetic field induces eddy currents in the surface of the workpiece. The conductive shield is placed in sufficient proximity to reduce or eliminate the eddy currents in the portion covered by the shield. At least a part of the uncovered portion of the workpiece is heated above the austenitizing or solution temperature of the material. At the same time, the covered portions of the workpiece are protected from overheating by the shield. The workpiece is then quenched to complete the hardening process.

Induction processing with the aid of a conductive shield

A hybrid furnace includes a vacuum furnace for heat treating a workpiece and a transportable oven removably attached to the vacuum furnace for holding the workpiece and maintaining it at an elevated temperature. The workpiece is transferred from the vacuum furnace to the transportable oven under an inert atmosphere to prevent the workpiece from being exposed to an oxidizing atmosphere or from undergoing a phase transition. The transportable oven is adapted to be detached from the vacuum furnace and transported to a work station for further processing of the workpiece. Heating means is provided in the transportable oven to maintain the temperature of the workpiece above a preselected warming temperature while the workpiece is waiting to be processed.

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Portland, OR, United States of America

Matthew Douglas Carter