Yuzhnoye SDO is mastering an advanced innovative energy- and resource-saving technology of robotic friction stir welding to investigate the possibility of introducing this technology into the technological cycle of manufacturing launch vehicle cases made of advanced aluminum alloys and creating a robotic friction stir welding bay at the company.

The friction stir welding method, owing to limited deformation space in combination with limited heating of welding zone, is successfully applied by advanced foreign companies-space rocket manufacturers and has the following advantages as compared with the fuse welding:

With this welding method, the static tensile strength and bending strength, relative elongation, impact elasticity, fatigue strength of a welded seam are at the level of respective indices of main metal of parts or are close to them.

The investigations and tests of a welded joint made by friction stir welding showed considerable advantage over bolt and riveted joints due to increased strength and stiffness of the structure, reduced mass of the structure and decreased manufacturing cost.