UIC researcher developing intelligent welding technology for deep-space exploration

NASA's long-term exploration goals, especially for the Moon and Mars missions, will require the ability to perform in-space manufacturing and assembly. Developing space welding technology will enable the assembly and repair of structures while reducing logistical burdens and Earth-based supply needs.

In an effort to advance in-space welding technology, Azadeh Haghighi is investigating solutions to address the challenges.

The research is supported by NASA through the project "Weld-ASSIST: Weldability Assessment for In-Space Conditions using a Digital Twin." Recently, NASA provided additional support to expand the Weld-ASSIST project's intelligent decision-support capabilities, building on the physics-informed digital twin developed through the ongoing, multiyear effort.

"The unique challenges and extreme conditions of space - high thermal variations, microgravity, and vacuum - require advanced welding techniques and computational tools to ensure reliability, repeatability, safety, and structural integrity in one-shot weld scenarios," said Haghighi, assistant professor in the UIC Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and director of the Smarture Lab.

The researcher is focusing on three key challenges: low temperatures, extreme vacuum in space and microgravity.

In space, the very low temperatures degrade the weldability of high-thermal-conductivity materials, such as aluminum alloys, making it harder to achieve strong, defect-free welds.

The extreme vacuum lowers the boiling points of alloying elements, altering the keyhole geometry during welding. This selective vaporization changes the weld's final chemical composition, affecting its microstructure and properties.

Microgravity nearly eliminates buoyancy-driven flow of liquid metal within the molten pool, preventing gas bubbles from escaping and leading to porosity and weld defects.

"By examining these critical factors using multiscale, multiphysics models integrated with physics-informed machine learning, and forward/inverse uncertainty quantification techniques, this project provides the first-ever digital twin platform to evaluate welding processes under extreme space conditions," she said.

The models will be validated through Earth-based experiments, parabolic flight tests and publicly available data from different databases and agencies worldwide. These models will facilitate extendibility to support resource utilization on the Moon and Mars, including construction and repair using locally sourced materials such as regolith.

"The established fundamental scientific knowledge will minimize trial-and-error, enable high-quality one-shot welds in space, and reduce the need for reworks, significantly reducing the costs and time needed for space missions," she said.

The research also provides UIC students with the opportunity to work at the intersection of advanced manufacturing, computational modeling, artificial intelligence and space exploration.

"Students learn how to combine fundamental physics with data-driven methods, quantify uncertainty and translate computational predictions into engineering decisions for complex systems where data may be limited, and experiments can be difficult or costly. These are increasingly important skills as manufacturing systems become more intelligent, autonomous, and deployed in environments where human intervention may be limited," Haghighi said.

Working on a NASA-supported project allows students to engage with mission-driven research and better understand how fundamental scientific questions connect to real aerospace needs.

"Students will gain exposure to NASA research priorities and the broader space-manufacturing community, while developing technical and professional connections that can create pathways to future research, internships, and careers across NASA, academia and the aerospace sector. More broadly, learning to integrate physics, computation, AI and engineering judgment prepares them to contribute not only to future space missions, but also to the next generation of advanced manufacturing technologies on Earth," she said.

- By David Staudacher, College of Engineering