William John Arbegast, Jr. (11 April 1951– 28 November 2009) was an American metallurgical engineer,

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

and

friction stir welding Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state joining process that uses a non-consumable tool to join two facing workpieces without melting the workpiece material. Heat is generated by friction between the rotating tool and the workpiece material ...

expert.

Life and career

Arbegast was born in Davenport, Iowa, the son of William John Arbegast, Sr. and Gloria Florence Arbegast, née Kamps. He had two daughters, Leanne Stover and Kati Patterson, while he was married to Christine Arbegast. He was also known as Bill Arbegast. He obtained his BS in Metallurgical Engineering from the

Colorado School of Mines The Colorado School of Mines, informally called Mines, is a public research university in Golden, Colorado, founded in 1874. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, and mathematics, with a focus on en ...

Golden, Colorado Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the base of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountai ...

. In 1974, he became Quality Laboratory Metallurgist for Martin Marietta Astronautics in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he assessed metals and non-metals of the Titan Launch Vehicle and the

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...

. There he was a specialist for the application of the following processes in the manufacture of aerospace components: *

heat treatment Heat treating (or heat treatment) is a group of industrial process, industrial, thermal and metalworking, metalworking processes used to alter the physical property, physical, and sometimes chemical property, chemical, properties of a material. ...

welding Welding is a fabrication process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by using high heat to melt the parts together and allowing them to cool, causing fusion. Welding is distinct from lower temperature techniques such as bra ...

* chemical milling * non-destructive evaluation * machining Subsequently, Arbegast worked as Supervisor and Lead Engineer of the Material Engineering Testing Laboratory at Martin Marietta, where he focused on testing various structural and propellant materials. He investigated for instance the formability and weldability of a recently developed metastable beta titanium alloy (Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn) and the fracture toughness and fatigue crack growth rates in titanium castings (Ti-6Al-4V) and aluminum based metal matrix composites (6061-17%SiC). He was the Lead Materials and Processes Engineer for the MX (Missile-eXperimental)

LGM-118 Peacekeeper The LGM-118 Peacekeeper, originally known as the MX for "Missile, Experimental", was a MIRV-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) produced and deployed by the United States from 1985 to 2005. The missile could carry up to twelve Mark ...

program, where he looked after designs, materials and processes of contractors and subcontractors. At that time, he was also Chairman of the Non-destructive Inspection Review Board for flight and ground hardware. He was the Deputy Manager of Research and Technology for Space Launch Vehicle Systems at interfaces with the Department of Defense, NASA and other Martin Marietta divisions. He left Martin Marietta in 1990 and obtained an advanced degree in Metallurgy and Materials Sciences at the

, where he developed a method to add alumino-silicate fibers to silicon nitride ceramics through a flocculation and sedimentation method, followed by hot isostatic pressing of the pre-forms. In 1996, Bill Arbegast went back to the former Martin Marietta company in Denver, which had been named Lockheed Martin Space Systems in the meantime. There he implemented friction stir welding for the

Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle National Security Space Launch (NSSL) — formerly Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) from 1994 to 2019 — is a program of the United States Space Force (USSF) intended to assure access to space for United States Department of Defense and ...

(EELV). In the same year, he took a position at the

Michoud Assembly Facility The Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) is an manufacturing complex owned by NASA in New Orleans East, a district within New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. Organizationally it is part of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and is current ...

of Lockheed Martin Space Systems in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. There he worked on the industrial application of friction stir welding in the manufacture of the

External Tank The Space Shuttle external tank (ET) was the component of the Space Shuttle launch vehicle that contained the liquid hydrogen fuel and liquid oxygen oxidizer. During lift-off and ascent it supplied the fuel and oxidizer under pressure to ...

for the

from the high-strength aluminium alloy 2219 and the very lightweight aluminium-lithium-alloy AA2195, which cannot be welded by conventional fusion welding methods. He also worked on friction stir welding of prototype cargo floor assemblies of the

Lockheed C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desig ...

military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to support military operations by airlifting troops and military equipment. Transport aircraft are crucial to maintaining supply ...

and the qualification of these structures. In collaboration with the

Air Force Research Laboratory The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is a scientific research organization operated by the United States Air Force Materiel Command dedicated to leading the discovery, development, and integration of aerospace warfighting technologies, pl ...

and the University of South Carolina designed and fabricated an aircraft wing-box assembly for the

Joint Strike Fighter Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a development and acquisition program intended to replace a wide range of existing fighter, strike, and ground attack aircraft for the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands ...

additive manufacturing 3D printing or additive manufacturing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer co ...

using friction stir welding. Arbegast later became the Director of the Advanced Materials Processing and Joining Center at the

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (South Dakota Mines, SD Mines, or SDSM&T) is a public university in Rapid City, South Dakota. It is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and was founded in 1885. South Dakota Mines offers ba ...

. He also founded and directed the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

Industry/University Cooperative Research (I/UCRC) Center for Friction Stir Processing (CFSP). The CFSP Center brings together a number of university, industry, and government partners to conduct applied research in

and friction stir processing and was the first of its kind in the State of South Dakota. He also founded a State of South Dakota 2010 center known as the Repair, Refurbish, and Return-to-service (R3S) Center. The mission of the R3S center is to apply advanced technologies to repair and increase sustainability in aging defense systems. He was a leader in understanding material flow during the friction stir process, and his work included research in the following areas: *

(FSW) * friction stir processing (FSP) * friction stir spot welding (FSSW) * ultrasonic spot welding (USW) * friction stir weld repair * laser additive manufacturing (LAM) * friction stir joining of thermoplastics * supersonic cold spray (SCS) * pulsed

gas metal arc welding Gas metal arc welding (GMAW), sometimes referred to by its subtypes metal inert gas (MIG) and metal active gas (MAG) is a welding process in which an electric arc forms between a consumable MIG wire electrode and the workpiece metal(s), which hea ...

(GMAW or MIG welding) *

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

welder training Arbegast had over 30 years industrial and academic experience in research and development of advanced materials processes. He was highly successful in project acquisition and management including developing management tools for the National Science Foundation manage an NSF I/UCRC Center. He is recognized as one of the key players in developing friction stir welding for the application within the aerospace industry. He was thus posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate of science by South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He died in

Rapid City, South Dakota Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...

in 2009.

Patents

* "Shape Memory Alloy Fastener", US Patent 5,120,175, June 9, 1992 * "Friction Stir Conduction Controller", US Patent 6,168,066, January 2, 2001 * "Method of Using Friction Stir Welding to Repair Weld Defects and to Help Avoid Weld Defects in Intersecting Welds", US Patent 6,230,957, May 15, 2001 * "Friction Stir Welding as a Rivet Replacement Technology", US Patent Application 10/217,179, August 12, 2002 * "Method for Making Large Composite Structures without Use of an Autoclave", US Patent 6,582,539 * "Apparatus and Method for Friction Stir Welding using Filler Metal", US Patent 6,543,671

Publications

Publications of William Arbegast
Website of South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Advanced Materials Processing Center

References

Biography
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology Advanced Materials Processing Center.
NSF I/UCRC Center for Friction Stir Processing

In Memory of William Arbegast, 1951-2009
Minerals, Metals & Materials Society Jan 2010, Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company, CBS Interactive.

Center for Friction Stir Processing, Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbegast, William 1951 births 2009 deaths American mechanical engineers Friction stir welding experts Lockheed Martin people Martin Marietta people 20th-century American engineers