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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Science-based Acceleration of the Full Value Stream for Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM): Expedited Powder Development and Additive Manufacturing Deployment in the Area of Aluminum Alloys for AM Powder Production (Final Report)

The overall Science-based Acceleration of the Full Value Stream for Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM): Expedited Powder Development and Additive Manufacturing Deployment (“X-P4AM”) project objective is to drastically reduce the time-to-market barriers for new additive alloys of interest in automotive and aerospace applications, through computational alloy design with rapid screening and down- selection via synthesis of candidate alloys with rapid solidification. The project will also refine the technology in high pressure gas atomization to improve the production of commercial quantities of selected powders with high powder yields and enhanced powder quality. A new aluminum (Al) alloy based on an Al-Ce-X composition, enhanced powder production, and optimized AM build parameterization provided a critical step in widespread adoption of AM technology for automotive applications, in this case. The individual background and capabilities of the Party are ideally suited to the successful execution of this work. The included work enhanced the Contractors’ AM capabilities, a core competency of the Contractors, and developed a close working relationship with the Participant in the area of aluminum powder alloys and their end use.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Mechanical behaviour of additively manufactured metals

Additive manufacturing is reshaping the production of engineering components in diverse industries, such as the automotive, aerospace, defense, and biomedical sectors, by offering unprecedented design flexibility. The non-equilibrium processing conditions of additive manufacturing generate materials with unique microstructures and tailored mechanical properties that are often unattainable through conventional routes. This review focuses on recent advances in additively manufactured metals that demonstrate distinctive mechanical behaviors, including strength-ductility synergy, microstresses and gradient plasticity, fracture and fatigue resistance, and high-temperature creep performance. Here, we examine the mechanisms and micromechanical effects arising from the heterogeneous microstructures fabricated by additive manufacturing, to guide the design of a wide range of high-performance structural materials. Furthermore, we discuss critical research needs and emerging opportunities in process control, alloy design, advanced characterization, high-fidelity computational modeling, and machine learning aimed at achieving exceptional mechanical properties in additively manufactured metals.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2014

Cleaning Process Development for Metallic Additively Manufactured Parts

Additive Manufacturing of metallic components for aerospace applications offers many advantages over traditional manufacturing techniques. As a new technology, many aspects of its widespread utilization remain open to investigation. Among these are the cleaning processes that can be used for post finishing of parts and measurements to verify effectiveness of the cleaning processes. Many cleaning and drying processes and measurement methods that have been used for parts manufactured using conventional techniques are candidates that may be considered for cleaning and verification of additively manufactured parts. Among these are vapor degreasing, ultrasonic immersion and spray cleaning, followed by hot air drying, vacuum baking and solvent displacement drying. Differences in porosity, density, and surface finish of additively manufactured versus conventionally manufactured parts may introduce new considerations in the selection of cleaning and drying processes or the method used to verify their effectiveness. This presentation will review the relative strengths and weaknesses of different candidate cleaning and drying processes as they may apply to additively manufactured metal parts for aerospace applications. An ultrasonic cleaning technique for exploring the cleanability of parts will be presented along with an example using additively manufactured Inconel 718 test specimens to illustrate its use. The data analysis shows that this ultrasonic cleaning approach results in a well-behaved ultrasonic cleaning/extraction behavior. That is, it does not show signs of accelerated cavitation erosion of the base material, which was later confirmed by neutron imaging. In addition, the analysis indicated that complete cleaning would be achieved by ultrasonic immersion cleaning at approximately 5 minutes, which was verified by subsequent cleaning of additional parts.

Tramel, Terri L.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's Approach to Additive Manufacturing Certification: Methodologies for Qualification of Additively Manufactured Aerospace Hardware

The implementation of additive manufacturing techniques to produce critical spaceflight systems is well underway. These technologies will be a key contributor to developing both launch vehicles and spacecraft that will play a crucial role in delivering the first woman and first person of color to the surface of the moon in 2025. To assist in the assurance of flight readiness, NASA has created comprehensive certification based standards for mature technologies for both metallic and nonmetallic materials.

Alison Park↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Dissolvable Additively Manufactured Molds and Supports for Electroimpacts Innovative Additive Manufacturing Process

Electroimpact inc. has developed a new additive manufacturing process involving continuous fiber reinforcement along with high-strength thermoplastics. A unique part of this process includes using additive manufacturing to print a base geometry that is then used as a tool for continuous fiber placement. Ideally the tool should be disposable and cost effective. After printing the base tool, continuous fiber is printed on top of the tool using a secondary additive head on the same system to create the final printed part. After continuous fiber printing is completed, the tool is removed and disposed of to leave only the final desired structure. Materials used for the base tool have several requirements that must be met in order to complete this process. First, the material must be rigid and strong enough to support the loads from the secondary printing operation (continuous fiber printing). In addition, the material must be able to adhere to the secondary process material as well be capable of being removed such that the only remaining structure is continuous fiber composite. Using innovative soluble materials allows for parts to be produced through additive with molds that are produced as non-reusable one-off shapes and sizes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

SURFACE FINISHING AND ELECTROLESS NICKEL PLATING OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED (AM) METAL COMPONENTS

This study investigates the application of electroless nickel deposition on additively manufactured stainless steel samples. Current additive manufacturing (AM) technologies produce metal components with a rough surface. Rough surfaces generally exhibit fatigue characteristics, increasing the probability of initiating a crack or fracture to the printed part. For this reason, the direct use of as-produced parts in a finished product cannot be actualized, which presents a challenge. Post-processing of the AM parts is therefore required to smoothen the surface. This study analyzes chempolish (CP) and electropolish (EP) surface finishing techniques for post-processing AM stainless steel components CP has a great advantage in creating uniform, smooth surfaces regardless of size or part geometry EP creates an extremely smooth surface, which reduces the surface roughness to the sub-micrometer level. In this study, we also investigate nickel deposition on EP, CP, and as-built AM components using electroless nickel solutions. Electroless nickel plating is a method of alloy treatment designed to increase manufactured component's hardness and surface resistance to the unrelenting environment. The electroless nickel plating process is more straightforward than its counterpart electroplating.. We use low-phosphorus (2-5% P), medium-phosphorus (6-9% P), and high-phosphorus (10-13% P). These Ni deposition experiments were optimized using the L9 Taguchi design of experiments (TDOE), which compromises the prosperous content in the solution, surface finish, plane of the geometry, and bath temperature. The pre-and post-processed surface of the AM parts was characterized by KEYENCE Digital MicroscopeVHX-7000 and Phenom XL Desktop SEM. The experimental results show that electroless nickel deposition produces uniform Ni coating on the additively manufactured components up to 20 μm per hour. Mechanical properties of as-built and Ni coated AM samples were analyzed by applying a standard 10 N scratch test. Nickel coated AM samples were up to two times scratch resistant compared to the as-built samples. This study suggests electroless nickel plating is a robust viable option for surface hardening and finishing AM components for various applications and operating conditions.

Keywords: additive manufacturing, fatigue, chempol↗
NASA NTRS2024

Effects of Oxide Dispersion on Failure Modes in an Additively Manufactured Superalloy

Additive manufacturing opens new paths for introducing oxide particles into superalloys, to potentially provide oxide dispersion strengthening (ODS) at high temperatures. This provides opportunities to study how such dispersions can influence failure modes for a given superalloy, after nearly identical material processing paths. The objective of this study was to compare monotonic failure modes for additively manufactured superalloys with versus without an introduced oxide dispersion. The superalloy for each case was produced by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. Specimens were subsequently given consistent thermal treatment paths and then tested in tensile and creep tests at varied temperatures. Failure modes were then compared. Additively manufactured NiCrAl without ODS had randomly oriented equiaxed grains while this alloy with 0.25 wt% Y 2 O 3 ODS additions had elongated [001] oriented grains in the build direction. Material made without ODS (“No-ODS”) was nearly completely single phase gamma, while ODS additions resulted in gamma, chromium carbide, and Y-Al-Cr oxide phases, with carbide and oxide phases contents estimated at no more than 13 and 1 vol%, respectively. Compared to No-ODS, material made with ODS had higher tensile strengths at room, 760 and 1093 °C. The elongation of ODS material was lower than No-ODS at room temperature, but higher at 760 °C. At 1093 °C ODS material had higher elongation than No-ODS when tested in the build direction, however elongation was lower for ODS material in the transverse direction at 1093 °C. Creep rupture strain, life, and area reduction at 760 and 1093 °C were all much higher for ODS material compared to No-ODS; 760 °C rupture life was nearly 100 times longer for ODS material. The presence of Y in the ODS material significantly improved oxidation resistance.

supperalloys↗
DOE OSTI2024

Toolpath considerations for hybrid additive manufacturing

Hybrid additive manufacturing combines both additive and subtractive manufacturing processes to fabricate geometrically complex, dimensionally accurate parts that are difficult to make using either additive or subtractive manufacturing alone. Industrial applications for hybrid additive manufacturing include direct manufacturing (building whole parts), feature addition (adding onto existing parts), and remanufacturing or repair operations. To coordinate the additive and subtractive processes, computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software must generate distinct toolpaths for each process. Each application requires different considerations and inputs when generating the toolpaths. For example, when building a part with an internal cavity that would otherwise be unmanufacturable due to reach or access limitations, a CAM must determine which layer(s) of deposition are appropriate to machine to create the internal cavity. This chapter explores the area of toolpath generation for hybrid manufacturing by discussing the necessary considerations that are unique to a hybrid process.

Feldhausen, Thomas↗
DOE OSTI2022

Science-based Acceleration of the Full Value Stream for Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM): Expedited Powder Development and Additive Manufacturing Deployment in the Area of Aluminum Powder Alloys

The overall Science-based Acceleration of the Full Value Stream for Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM): Expedited Powder Development (“X-P4AM”) project objective is to drastically reduce the time-to-market barriers for new additive alloys of interest in automotive and aerospace applications, through computational alloy design with rapid screening and down- selection via synthesis of candidate alloys with rapid solidification. The project will also refine the technology in high pressure gas atomization to improve the production of commercial quantities of selected powders with high powder yields and enhanced powder quality. A new aluminum (Al) alloy based on high entropy composition, enhanced powder production, and optimized AM build parameterization provided a critical step in widespread adoption of AM technology for automotive applications, in this case. The individual backgrounds and capabilities of the Parties are ideally suited to the successful execution of this work. The included work enhanced the Contractors’ AM capabilities, a core competency of the Contractors, and develop a close working relationship with the Participant in the area of aluminum powder alloys and their end use.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Additive Manufacturing for Powering the Blue Economy Applications: A Tidal Turbine Blade Case Study: Preprint

As the marine renewable energy industry continues to expand, innovation in the manufacturing space must grow accordingly to reduce costs and ensure the economic feasibility of new technologies. Additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, provides an alternative for rapid prototyping of marine hydrokinetic technologies, particularly supporting Powering the Blue Economy initiatives of the U.S. Department of Energy Water Power Technologies Office. This study explores the application of additive manufacturing in the development of marine hydrokinetic structures, focusing on material and printing method selection, design, and analysis of a 3D-printed spar for an axial-flow tidal turbine blade. Corrosion-resistant metals were deemed ideal due to the loads and harsh marine environment the blade would experience. Laser metal deposition methods were determined to be the most effective and scalable for the considered scale. The designed spar adapts its geometry to the blade - a feature uniquely suited to additive manufacturing - and is intended to serve as the blade's primary structural component. A finite element model was used to study stresses and deformations under loading conditions. The spar was manufactured using 316L stainless steel through direct energy deposition, and defects were assessed and recorded. Future efforts will include mechanical testing of the spar. This research establishes a benchmark process for using additive manufacturing in developing marine hydrokinetic structures, paving the way for future optimization and techno-economic analysis.

additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2020

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of a Miniature Additively Manufactured Vortex Tube

Ranque–Hilsch vortex tubes are simple devices that can produce a cooling effect using compressed air. A key advantage of vortex tubes is the lack of moving solid parts; however, their efficiencies are relatively low. The present study focuses on the development of a miniature variable-diameter tube using additive manufacturing. A metal-based 3D printing technique was utilized to fabricate this vortex tube monolithically. Computational fluid dynamics simulations employing software STAR-CCM + with a compressible Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) approach and the elliptic-blending lag k-epsilon turbulence model have been applied to model thermofluid processes inside the vortex tube, to good agreement with the experiment. In conclusion, a temperature decrease of 13.3 °C and a cooling power of approximately 4 W were experimentally achieved with a pressure ratio of 4 in the air at normal conditions. This result shows promise for the goal of utilizing additive manufacturing to design and build complex-geometry vortex tubes intended for use with cryogenic fluids.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Kinematics of a Cable-Driven Robotic Platform for Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing

Concrete additive manufacturing (AM) is a growing field of research. However, on-site, large-scale concrete additive manufacturing requires motion platforms that are difficult to implement with conventional rigid-link robotic systems. This article presents a new kinematic arrangement for a deployable cable-driven robot intended for on-site AM. The kinematics of this robot are examined to determine if they meet the requirements for this application, the wrench feasible workspace (WFW) is examined, and the physical implementation of a prototype is also presented. Data collected from the physical implementation of the proposed system are analyzed, and the results support its suitability for the intended application. The success of this system demonstrates that this kinematic arrangement is promising for future deployable AM systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Defects and anomalies in powder bed fusion metal additive manufacturing

Metal additive manufacturing is a disruptive technology that is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. Despite its unrivaled capability for directly fabricating metal parts with complex geometries, the wide realization of the technology is currently limited by microstructural defects and anomalies, which could significantly degrade the structural integrity and service performance of the product. Accurate detection, characterization, and prediction of these defects and anomalies have an important and immediate impact in manufacturing fully-dense and defect-free builds. As such, this review seeks to elucidate common defects/anomalies and their formation mechanisms in powder bed fusion additive manufacturing processes. They could arise from raw materials, processing conditions, and post-processing. While defects/anomalies in laser welding have been studied extensively, their formation and evolution remain unclear. Additionally, the existence of powder in powder bed fusion techniques may generate new types of defects, e.g., porosity transferring from powder to builds. Practical strategies to mitigate defects are also addressed through fundamental understanding of their formation. Such explorations enable the validation and calibration of models and ease the process qualification without costly trial-and-error experimentation.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2020

Imaging of Calibrated Defects in Additively Manufactured Materials: Pulsed Thermal Tomography Nondestructive Examination of Additively Manufactured Reactor Materials and Components

Additive manufacturing (AM, or 3D printing) for commercial nuclear energy applications is an emerging method for cost-efficient manufacturing aimed at replacing aging nuclear reactor parts and reducing costs for new construction. Known material flaws in AM include low-density regions consisting of non-sintered powder, which have to be detected to ensure the safety of long-term performance nuclear reactor components. Currently, limited options are available for nondestructive evaluation (NDE), either during or post manufacturing. As a solution to NDE of AM, we are developing pulsed thermal imaging which is non-contact, one-sided, and scalable to arbitrary size and shape of the AM parts. Pulsed thermography (PT) system utilizes a high intensity flash lamp to rapidly heat surface of sample, and a high sensitivity fast-frame megapixel infrared (IR) camera to capture data of surface temperature variations. The acquired data cube consists of a stack of surface temperature images taken at different times. Information about material internal defects is extracted by analyzing the data cube. This report provides results of preliminary performance evaluation of pulsed thermal imaging capability in detection of imprinted flaws in AM metallic structures. The flaws were introduced into AM parts as imprinted hemispherical low density regions, consisting of trapped un-sintered metallic powder. Specimens for developed for this study consisted of AM stainless steel 316 and Inconel 718 plates. The diameters of imprinted defects varied from 1mm to 8mm, and their depths below the plate flat surface varied between 1mm and 6mm. Pulsed thermal tomography (PTT) processes the measured data cube to obtain 3D reconstructions of material effusivity using a unique inversion algorithm developed at Argonne. PTT has been previously used in imaging of similar size flat bottom hole (FBH) simulated defects in stainless steel 316 and Inconel 718 specimens. In the study involving AM specimens, PTT imaging results have shown that 1mm-diameter defects located 1mm and 2mm below the surface of specimens were detectable. Larger size defects were detectable at greater depth. We also explored an alternative approach to detection of material flaws in PT data cube, which is using neural learning-based approach to blind source separation. Detection of small material defects requires finding features in the data cube which have signal contrast levels approaching sensitivity limit of IR camera. In this study, an optimized Neural Learning based Blind Source Separation (NLBSS) algorithm, including Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) is demonstrated to automatically extract principal temporal and spatial features of thermography frames to enhance flaw detection. By using the NLBSS algorithm, material internal defects can be automatically detected. Furthermore, this processing approach compensates for experimental thermal imaging artifacts, such as noise and uneven heating. By merging artificial intelligence with phtotothermics, the NDE system detects internal calibrated defects of various sizes and depths in AM nuclear-grade metallic alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗