There are a number of industrial applications that use transitions between dissimilar metals where joining is of the utmost importance. These applications include those within the power industry where inadequate joining strategies can cause failures or degradation.
TWI is currently working on a project to solve this issue through the use of an additively manufactured transition piece. The transition piece would use functionally-graded materials to produce a match to the chemical composition of the ferritic steel on one side and the stainless steel on the other.
The project is envisioned that additive manufacturing techniques may provide a solution and create the functionally-graded transition piece.
This unique, innovative and disruptive concept brings direct applicability to a new manufacturing methodology to potentially solve a long-standing issue for the power generation industry.
Once proof of concept has been established, the project will seek to work across a variety of material transitions to provide solutions for a number of different reactor types, including small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as for stainless steel to creep resistant steel couplings as widely used in fossil fuel power plants and refineries.
