Manufacture of thin-wall spherical containers by deformation-welding

Spherical thin-wall containers are used in components of rockets to carry the fuel constituents of the engine, and for the transport and storage of fuel in the petrochemical industry. In space technology, fuel constituents may include corrosive gaseous and oliquid prodcuts, used especially t subzero temperatures. It is therefore necessary to produce containers from high-strength, corrosion-resisting alloys (VT14, VT23, AMg6, 1970, etc.). Problems of processing these alloys both in shaping and welding, especially in the case of thin-wall materials, are well known: it is important to ensure the suitable temperature-rate conditions of shaping and the non-oxidising medium, control grain growth, the presence of residual stresses, possibility of burn-through of the metal, etc. The processes of hot stamping components of the containers of thick plate with subsequent machining or multipass hot drawing increase the labor content of production and the consumption of materials, and decrease the quality of completed components. The application of argon-arc welding does not solve these problems.