Naval Onsite/Offshore Repair and (Re)Manufacturing Enabled by Hybrid Additive-Subtractive Manufacturing
Abstract
Overview The White House states Òour nation is falling behind its competitors on research and development, manufacturing, and trainingÓ; It is of national significance to revolutionize U.S. manufacturing and establish new and much-improved capabilities. The United States Navy has long been at the helm of innovation in research and development in America. This project aims to acquire a state-of-the-art hybrid additive-subtractive manufacturing (HASM) equipment, which will enable new/enhanced DOD research across disciplines and advance UTAÕs institutional capability in a wide range of areas such as naval engineering, advanced naval materials, structures and materials, and flight dynamics and control. This aligns with the Naval Research Development Framework especially on Òmission capable, persistent, and survivable sea platformsÓ and Òaviation, force project, and integrated defenseÓ. The acquisition of the proposed equipment is also crucial to the education of future scientists and engineers at UTA and community partners such as local two-year community colleges, K-12 schools, and industry collaborators. Innovative Research The HASM equipment to be acquired is an integration of additive (powder-based laser metal deposition) and subtractive (CNC machining) technologies onto a five-axis platform, providing an efficient and reliable solution for 1) much-improved fabrication quality by reducing/eliminating the stacked errors/defects, 2) much-enhanced manufacturing flexibility and complexity by adjusting the tool axis direction to the surface normal vector, and 3) much-increased efficiency by integrating a one-stop solution and reducing the need for support. PIs will focus on HASM-enabled onsite/offshore repair and (re)manufacturing, offering an innovative solution to address the current challenge of repairing, remanufacturing, or replacing defective parts for existing DOD equipment and assets. To enable high-quality repair and (re)manufacturing, the fundamental thermodynamics and thermal history at the repairing surface and the relationship between hybrid process characteristics and the repair quality will be characterized. In addition, UTA faculty will initiate other research projects such as bio-inspired metamaterials, quality-aware in-situ process monitoring and control, joint energy-resource management in hybrid manufacturing systems, etc. StudentsÕ involvement in proposed research projects will be greatly emphasized, especially female, monitories, and those from traditionally underrepresented groups. Specifically, undergraduate and graduate students from different disciplines and backgrounds will participate in the proposed research activities, and the generated research results will be infused into STEM education via curriculum design/redesign, skill training, independent research projects, etc. StudentsÕ performance in these developed education activities will then be assessed in research projects such as human-machine interactions. STEM Education and Workforce UTA does not currently own five-axis HASM equipment, so students and faculty do not have access to this state-of-the-art technology. The acquisition of this HASM equipment will fill in UTAÕs facility/resource gap in advanced manufacturing and is critical to the education of next-generation scientists and engineers. Specifically, a bilingual English/Spanish virtual training platform for hybrid manufacturing will be developed with integrated knowledge and research findings generated from the HASM equipment. This virtual training program will be leveraged in evidence-integrated, project-based STEM education at UTA as well as outreach activities with community partners. In summary, the acquisition of the proposed HASM equipment will significantly enhance the institutional capability of UTA as an R-1 institution in terms of much-advanced research facility and resources, much-enhanced research ability, and much-improved studentsÕ involvement in multidisciplinary research.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 02, 2022
- Source ID
- W911NF2210155
Entities
People
- Yiran Yang
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- University of Texas at Arlington