GOALI: From Powder to Functional Actuators: Binder Jet Printing of Magnetic Shape Memory Alloys

磁性形状记忆合金是在磁场存在下可以快速改变形状的金属合金。这些材料可以潜在地为复杂的、高精度的致动装置提供更坚固的替代品，这些致动装置可能易于频繁发生故障。目前，功能磁性形状记忆合金的应用受到其成本高和难以成形为复杂形状的限制。增材制造是一种以逐层方式生产具有非常复杂形状的零件的方法，可以为这个问题提供解决方案。该奖项旨在支持基础研究，以了解增材制造工艺对磁性形状记忆合金性能和性能的影响。这些知识将使具有复杂形状的磁性形状记忆合金的生产成为可能，这些合金最终可用于高精度、大行程致动器，并且还将有助于制造具有增强性能的其他磁性材料。大学研究团队与一家全球性美国公司之间的合作将支持从基础研究到应用的快速过渡，并将加强学生培训。这些令人兴奋的材料和工艺将用于推广活动，以提高K-12学生，他们的老师和家长对STEM的兴趣和认识。据推测，磁场增强粘合剂喷射增材制造将生产形状复杂的多晶磁性形状记忆合金，其具有对齐的微观结构和功能特性，优于目前铸造的多晶磁性形状记忆合金。该奖项的基础研究将集中在定义磁性增强粘合剂喷射打印如何影响功能磁性形状记忆合金在几个长度尺度上的微观结构和性能。为了验证这一假设，研究小组将（A）研究杂质、成分、功能性以及烧结和打印参数之间的基本关系，（B）量化磁性对准参数对打印状态和烧结状态下的各向异性和功能性的影响，和（C）通过性能测试确定印刷和单晶磁性形状记忆功能致动器组件之间的主要差异来源，原型执行器。

Magnetic shape-memory alloys are metal alloys that can change shape quickly in the presence of a magnetic field. These materials can potentially provide a more robust replacement for complex, high-precision actuation devices, which can be prone to frequent failure. At present, the application of functional magnetic shape-memory alloys is limited by their high cost and difficulty forming into complex shapes. Additive manufacturing, a method of producing parts with very complex shapes in a layer-by-layer fashion, may provide a solution to this problem. This Grant Opportunities for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award supports fundamental research to understand the effects of additive manufacturing processing on the properties and performance of magnetic shape-memory alloys. This knowledge will enable the production of magnetic shape-memory alloys with complex shapes that can ultimately be used in high precision, large stroke actuators, and will also facilitate manufacturing other magnetic materials with enhanced properties. The collaboration between a university research team and a global US-based company will support fast transition from basic research to application, and will enhance student training. These exciting materials and processes will be used in outreach activities to increase interest and awareness of K-12 students, their teachers and parents in STEM.It is hypothesized that magnetic-field-enhanced binder jet additive manufacturing will produce complex-shaped, polycrystalline magnetic shape-memory alloys with aligned microstructures and functional properties that are better than currently casted polycrystalline magnetic shape memory alloys. The basic research in this award will focus on defining how magnetically enhanced binder jet printing affects the microstructure and properties of functional magnetic shape memory alloys over several length scales. In order to test the hypothesis, the research team will (A) investigate the fundamental relationships among impurities, composition, functionality, and sintering and printing parameters, (B) quantify the effects of magnetic alignment parameters on anisotropy and functionality in the as-printed and sintered state, and (C) identify major sources of differences between printed and single crystal magnetic shape memory functional actuator components through performance testing on prototype actuators.