Patent ID: 8387852

Claim:
A method of making a curved structural assembly comprising the following steps: (a) arranging first and second polygonal plates so that said first and second plates are coplanar and one side of said first plate is in contact with one side of said second plate; (b) friction welding said first and second plates together along a first interface formed by said contacting sides of said first and second plates, said friction-welded first interface forming a first weld joint; (c) arranging a third polygonal plate so that said third plate is coplanar with said first and second plates, one side of said third plate is in contact with another side of said second plate, and said first through third plates approximate a segmented arc, each of said first, second and third plates being a respective segment of said segmented arc; (d) friction welding said second and third plates together along a second interface formed by said contacting sides of said second and third plates, said friction-welded second interface forming a second weld joint; (e) machining said first, second and third plates to form an inner curved contour that intersects said first and second weld joints; and (f) machining said first, second and third plates to form an outer curved contour that intersects said first and second weld joints.