Thermal Fuse for inexpensive certification of thermal AM components
Abstract
Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables high complexity, low-volume production in a manner distinct to traditional manufacturing. Consequently, AM is a critically important Air Force manufacturing technology, especially Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) due to the high associated build resolution and compatibility with high-value titanium alloys. PBF is a transient thermal process which involves rapidly changing the state of powdered material to molten and back to solid. Where the geometric and mechanical properties of the manufactured part are critically dependent on the time-temperature history during the manufacturing process and must be verified for part certification. Inspection methods for PBF component certification are available, but these methods are either destructive or highly expensive and time-consuming. To overcome this rate-limiting scenario, an inexpensive non-destructive method for AM certification is highly desirable. The strategic research objective of this project is to develop low-cost, non-destructive test (NDT) methods for PBF component inspection. We propose that this objective be achieved by a strategically designed physical artefact that is integrated with the additively manufactured component and by-design serves as an indicator of the thermal history of the part during manufacture.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2025
- Source ID
- FA23862414075
Entities
People
- Martin Leary
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- RMIT University
- United States Air Force