Low-Cost, Light-Weight, Corrosion Resistant - Compositionally Complex Alloys (CR-CCAs) Enabled by Novel Discovery and Design Methods
Abstract
The Complex Concentrated Alloy (CCA) concept can fuel the innovation of new classes of environmentally resilient materials with unusual compositions and carefully engineered microstructures such that multiple essential properties may be optimized simultaneously. Limited progress has been accomplished to date in the discovery of low-cost, lightweight, high-strength, ductile, and corrosion-resistant Multi-Principal Element Alloys (MPEA) where these properties are simultaneously optimized using artificial intelligence (AI) approaches. This project utilizes several strategies and employs integrated computational and experimental materials engineering (ICEME) to discover and design lightweight Corrosion Resistant-Complex Compositional Alloys (CR-CCAs) through fundamental studies. The objective is to attain properties after synthesis and thermomechanical treatments that exceed conventional titanium-based alloys in terms of cost-density-mechanical performance (strength, ductility, and toughness) and exceed the corrosion performance of stainless steels for service in marine environments. There are several novel aspects of the proposed CR-CCAs including the use of Heusler phases and a vanishing cracked particle model within a crystal plasticity framework to optimize strength-ductility combinations, utilization of the Al-Ti-Cr synergy and others to provide for excellent passivation and corrosion resistance of both phases. Moreover, the optional funding for the proposal exploits strategies to design CR-CCAs with robust high toughness in both dry and humid environments, the latter of which is typically brought about by exposure to hydrogen during corrosion of conventional alloys. The result should be a new paradigm in alloy design that avoids severe trade-offs and trial-and-error-based alloy discovery.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 15, 2023
- Source ID
- N000142312441
Entities
People
- John R. Scully
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Virginia