PROCESS AND TOOLS FOR MANUFACTURING A ONE-PIECE PART BY SUPERPLASTIC FORMING AND DIFFUSION WELDING TECHNIQUES

摘要

During the manufacture of a single piece by the techniques of superplastic forming and diffusion welding, two half-molds (12, 14) are used provided with abutment surfaces (20, 22) which come to bear when they are initially pressed towards each other to weld by diffusion a peripheral region of the stack of sheets (26) placed between the half-molds. The end of the welding of the sheets (26) in this peripheral region is ensured by inflation of an expandable frame (28), initially interposed between the sheets (26) and one of the half-molds (12, 14).