| Abstract Scope |
Electron Beam Welding (EBW) is the primary joining process in the fabrication of superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities from ultra high purity niobium. In order to produce target accelerating gradients and quality factors in SRF cavities, stringent metallurgical and surface conditions are required to maintain the superconducting effect in niobium. This work presents a characterization of EBW process parameters and its effect on weld geometry across three different joint configurations: edge, fillet, and pipe welds. Weld characteristics including penetration, crown width, root width, and area were evaluated along with the effect of thermal preheat accumulation during circumferential welds. The EBW process was simultaneously modeled on Simufact Welding to simulate thermal history and benchmarked against experimental results. |