Additive Manufacturing of High Strength Steels for Lightweighting and Location Specific Fragmentation
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) has the potential of developing complex part geometries, tailored microstructures, and functionally graded material properties in metals - capabilities which are not attainable with conventional manufacturing techniques. However, the drawback of AM is that mechanical properties such as strength, toughness, and hardness levels resulting from the process are typically lower than those produced via conventional manufacturing methods, and therefore, require post processing to rectify, if it is possible at all. As a result, it is of enormous interest to determine AM processing parameters for a specific material that can successfully produce parts with the advantages of AM (complex part geometries, tailored microstructures, and functionally graded material properties) but without the detrimental effects on mechanical properties, thereby removing the need for post-processing altogether. As such, the focus of this proposal is to develop a methodology for the AM of ultrahigh strength martensitic steel AF9628 and lightweight FeMnAl steel, with the intent to produce high strength, toughness, and hardness levels for these alloys via microstructural tailoring, particularly through microstructural refinement effects. In addition, the capacity of AM to successfully produce functional grading via local microstructure control, a by-product of selected process parameters and alloy chemistry, will be investigated. Development of such location specific microstructural tailoring capability is expected to enable controlled fragmentation of munitions and lightweighting. After achieving successful results for AF9628 and FeMnAl, additional work on AM and local microstructural control of other aerospace/munition grade steels (e.g., HP-9-4-20 and AerMet 100/310/340) will be performed in order to support the DoD for next-gen weapons development efforts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2019
- Source ID
- FA86511910005
Entities
People
- Ibrahim Karaman
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory
- Texas Engineering Experiment Station
- United States Air Force