Knovel Solutions are the stories of engineers who have used Knovel to solve real life problems.

In building commercial aircraft, it is imperative for engineers to be precise in their work. Even the smallest error can become a costly failure. Engineers in the Aerospace industry need reliable sources to find effective design solutions for their projects.

This problem comes from a structural engineer at a leading aerospace company. He used information found on Knovel to fix a defect in the airplane frame caused by improper repair.
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Knovel Solutions are the stories of engineers who use Knovel to solve real life problems.

This problem comes from a marine engineer. As a part of the modernization plan at the shipyard where he works, the engineer needs to order new welding equipment. He decides to use Knovel to find images about advanced welding technologies suitable for marine applications.

The shipyard uses large volumes of plates and T shapes to make decks, bulkheads, shells and other structural components. As the need for weight and cost reduction grows, T-beams are being manufactured with stronger materials and smaller cross-sections. These thin materials are subject to significant distortion as they are welded. Some estimates place the cost of distortion at 30% of the structural cost of the ship.

The engineer must research processes and equipment for the mechanized welding of T- beams and flat panels with supporting girders in a way that minimizes distortion.

After compiling his data, the engineer will report back with his findings. The report should contain examples of successful implementations of the selected technology in marine applications.

Next Steps:

Research mechanized welding technologies used in marine applications and select the technology that meets the requirements

Report his findings

Researching welding technologies

The engineer starts by searching Knovel for ‘automatic welding’ (Click to run search):

On the search results page, he opens Chapter 9.2.1.2 Automatic Welding with Cored Wires in Ship Construction (6th Edition). The selection (below) states that SAW (Submerged Arc Welding) is the most commonly used welding technology for mechanized welding in shipbuilding.

Browsing further, the engineer reads that LBW (Laser Beam Welding) and HLAW (Hybrid Laser Arc Welding) are new welding techniques applicable for shipbuilding applications.

HLAW is of special interest to the engineer because this technique is recommended for the welding of T- beams and girder-supported flat panels for decks and superstructures to minimize the distortion of metal of moderate thickness. It is also very important that this technology is suitable for a wide range of steels and aluminum alloys.

Learning more about HLAW and application examples:

Now, the task of the engineer is to find out more about the technology, i.e., process parameters (speed of welding, metal grades, range of thicknesses, forms, positions, metal preparation, gaps, etc.), equipment, power consumption, advantages and disadvantages. The engineer searches Knovel for ‘hybrid laser arc welding’ (Click to run search):

On the search results page, he opens Chapter 9.1 Introduction in Failure Mechanisms of Advanced Welding Processes and navigates to pages 219-223 to read more about laser welding and HLAW.

Click here to read the engineer’s findings.

Going back to the search results page, the engineer opens another selection, Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding, to learn more about the implementation of HLAW technology to the welding of high-strength steel, Zn-coated steel, stainless steel, aluminum alloys and even dissimilar metals. He continues to browse this selection and finds a wide range of examples of successful application of HLAW in shipbuilding at shipyards in different European countries.

Finally, at the end of this chapter, he reads:

Searching for welding processes on Knovel, the engineer finds that:

1. LBW (Laser Beam Welding) is not suitable for specified applications. The most promising new welding technology that meets his shipyard’s requirements is HLAW (Hybrid Laser Arc Welding).
2. It is desirable to implement a more efficient Nd:YAG or fiber laser than CO2 laser, though the latter was also implemented successfully.
3. HLAW technology has the following advantages: good penetration, very high speeds, ceramic backing is not required for butt-welding, and most importantly, minimum distortion due to high concentration of heat and narrow melting zone.
4. HLAW is suitable for welding of different steel and aluminum grades. It could be used in butt and T welding. It can also be used to make metallic sandwich panels of different types.
5. Successful implementation of HLAW technology at leading European shipyards was reported.

On the basis of information gathered from Knovel, the engineer recommends the implementation of HLAW technology at his shipyard. His next steps are to start contacting suppliers and write the report.