SBIR Phase I: Large-Scale Production of Non-Ferrous Metal Fibers by Modulation-Assisted Machining

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将展示一种新的方法，使用称为调制辅助加工或MAM的特殊加工工艺在钛和铝合金等材料中生产金属纤维。 最广泛采用的生产金属纤维的方法是多步拉丝工艺，其中小直径的丝从金属坯料中拉出，随后切割成离散的长度。 然而，该工艺仅限于可被拉成线材的材料，并且资本设备成本高，相关的基础设施要求复杂。MAM工艺是从普渡大学的研究中发展而来的，并已证明有可能从根本上改变金属纤维生产的能力和灵活性，同时降低成本。 通过使用MAM工艺，纤维可以直接从金属棒加工而成。项目目标包括：1）使用MAM生产铝合金和钛纤维; 2）表征MAM参数对纤维几何形状和微观结构的影响; 3）测量MAM生产的纤维的强度;以及4）展示纤维生产的放大概念。 该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于，MAM工艺将成为一种在几乎任何金属合金系统中生产金属纤维的方法。MAM可以提供一种新的、低成本的方法来生产使用现有技术难以或不可能生产的纤维。 该项目的商业潜力在于设计和开发特殊调制设备，使MAM技术适用于使用CNC机床而不是复杂的制造工厂制造纤维。将MAM技术扩展到材料生产领域将增加M4 Sciences产品的市场空间，并增加整个市场的商业和研究活动。MAM美安萌生产的先进金属纤维材料的开发也带来了更大的商业影响。 这些新的金属纤维有望为公司的调制设备带来商业机会，用于生产金属纤维产品和复合材料系统，提高我们的生活质量。MAM美安萌可以将当前的加工技术从传统上用于生产具有特定几何形状的离散零件的工艺转变为生产先进材料的工艺。同样重要的是，拟议的研究将进一步了解调制对加工过程的能源效率的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate a new way to produce metal fibers in materials such as titanium and aluminum alloys using a special machining process known as Modulation-Assisted Machining or MAM. The most widely adopted method for producing metal fibers is a multi-step wire drawing process, where small diameter wires are drawn from a metal billet and subsequently cut into discrete lengths. However, this process is limited to materials that can be drawn into wires and the capital equipment costs are high and related infrastructure requirements complex. The MAM process has evolved from research at Purdue University and has demonstrated the potential to radically change the capacity and flexibility of metal fiber production while simultaneously achieving a lower cost. By using the MAM process, fibers can be machined directly from metal bars. The project objectives include: 1) Produce aluminum alloy and titanium fibers using MAM; 2) Characterize the effects of MAM parameters on fiber geometry and microstructure; 3) Measure the strength of fibers produced by MAM; and, 4) demonstrate fiber production scale-up concepts. This is expected to enhance the application of MAM to a viable process for production of metal fibers.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that MAM processes will enable a method for production of metal fibers in virtually any metal alloy system. MAM could offer a new, low-cost method to produce fibers that are difficult or impossible to create using existing technology. The commercial potential for this project lies in the design and development of special modulation devices that adapt MAM technology for fiber-making using a CNC machine tool rather than a complex manufacturing plant. The extension of MAM technology into materials production will increase the market space for M4 Sciences products and increase commercial and research activity in the total market. Increased commercial impact also lies in the development of advanced metal fiber materials produced by MAM. These new metal fibers are expected to lead to commercial opportunities for the company's modulation devices for the production of metal fiber-based products and composite material systems that improve our quality of life. MAM could transform current machining technology from a process traditionally used to produce discrete parts with specific geometry to a process that produces advanced materials. Equally important, the proposed research will further the understanding of the effects of modulation on energy efficiency of machining processes.