ADVANCED ARGON-ARC WELDING PROCESSES OF AIRCRAFT STRUCTURES FROM HIGH STRENGTH STEELS AND HIGHT ALLOYS

Requirements to fabrication processes for arc welding of highly loaded thick-walled joint and problems of research and development in term s of the tendency for the modern aircraft structure development are outlined. A justified, choice of the development line of the new promising welding processes for solution of these problems is presented. A complex of new welding processes and technologies for making highly reliable joints with different thickness (up to 120 mm and more) and length of weld (up to 0.1 m; 0.1-0.5 m and more than 0.5 m) has bee developed. It is shown that the possibility to control the heat flow distribution over the groove surface of the welded joints provides for improved reliability. The new welding processes are equipment are effectively used in serial production of the Mykoyan md Sukhoi supersonic aircrafts as well as in AN-124 Ruslan and AN-225 Mriya wide body aircrafts.