Gradient Additive Manufacturing of Energetics Research (GAMER)
Abstract
The freedom of design in additive manufacturing of energetic materials will bring new possibilities in the defense domain to increase munitions performance. This is explored by several parties in the US and Europa among which TNO. The next step in additive manufacturing is the introduction of multilayered materials and graded materials into the final product. This will also be very beneficial for energetic materials / products. In order to advance the technology this study focuses on the gradient printing of rocket propellant mixtures using the technology of extrusion based fused deposition modelling. In the study, materials for 3D-printing with potential as rocket propellant are evaluated. First discrete layers of dissimilar materials are printed followed by gradients of increasing complexity. Ultimately a larger object is printed as proof of principle for the gradient additive manufacturing of energetics. The object combines the printing of a material with gradients in its composition with the printing of a complex shape.To accomplish this the flow behavior of suitable compositions is measured. Extrusion technology and nozzles dedicated to the manufacture of graded energetic materials, are evaluated. The additive manufacturing hardware is adapted by the design and construction of an instrumented extrusion nozzle that is able to produce gradients in the energetic material. The control strategy of the process addresses positioning, mass flow control and curing of the printed material. The performance of gradient printing is monitored throughout the study. The extrusion nozzle operation is quantified in terms of deposition rate, pressure and temperature. The deposited layers and graded layers are assessed by visual and microscopic examination, and by measurement of bonding strength between layers is measured. And the burn rate is measured to establish the effect of gradients in composition on performance and suitability as rocket propellant.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 11, 2017
- Source ID
- FA95501710332
Entities
People
- Joost Van Lingen
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research
- United States Air Force