2nd day at the Metal Industries Research and Development Centre. This is a friction stir welded 5000 series aluminium wheel for a sports car.
Inside view of a friction stir welded 5000 series aluminium wheel for a sports car. The FSW is carried out as a seam weld on a cylinder, followed by the forming operation.
Hybrid arc and laser welding equipment at MIRDC
Lower power laser welding equipment.
The spokes of this bicycle wheel are magnesium bonded to an aluminium alloy rim using adhesive.
Closer view of the adhesively bonded joint.
Lunch
There is a lot of rapid prototyping research at MIRDC. In the background is Rick Wu, who works on rapid prototyping. His head was scanned in three dimensions, the data fed into a computer which then produced the replica below.
A hydroformed automobile component
A hydroformed automobile component. The starting shape is a cylinder. The holes are formed by hydro-piercing.
A hydroformed T-junction. The spherical cap at the end of the vertical tube is machined off.
More hydroformed components, in each case beginning with a tube.
The equipment used for hydroforming.
Conventional way of tying together steel reinforcement bars which strengthen concrete.
Mechanical joining provides an alternative method which is much more secure in an earthquake.
The joints in acation.
A bicycle with a magnesium frame. This one led to a victory in the 2004 Womens' race at the Olympics.
An aluminium bicycle for women.
This handle bar is hydroformed aluminium.
A variety of magnesium components.
Ultrafine wire forming.
Hydroformed bellows, beginning with cylinders.
Another hydroformed component
Two ladies we met in the old dormitory of the National Taiwan University, before it was converted into a restaurant which serves vegetarian meals. The one on the right is Maureen Chen, dressed in a sari. She works doing good things in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia and Australia, but is English in origin. Paula Liu on the left is a journalist who started in Madagascar.
T101, the highest building on earth, revisited at night.
T101, the highest building on earth, revisited at night (Yang and Harry)