GOALI: Stabilizing Additively Manufactured Superalloys at High Temperatures through Engineering Defect and Precipitate Interactions

这项授予工业学术联系机会(GOALI)奖将调查高温材料的制造技术，这些材料用于航空航天和能源行业的涡轮发动机叶片等关键部件。这项研究将产生与理解和实施一项新技术有关的新知识，在这项技术中，3D打印材料经过激光喷丸和热处理循环处理。激光喷丸是一种公认的提高强度的表面工程工艺，但它的使用仅限于温度低于100摄氏度的部件。这种新制造技术的新奇之处在于能够提高加工材料在更高温度下的稳定性。阿拉巴马大学和柯蒂斯·赖特表面技术公司之间的这一目标合作将揭示强化机制，并实现对过程的控制，从而顺利过渡到工业部门。该奖项将支持研究生和本科生，为他们提供实习机会和学习先进技术的机会。它还将支持塔斯基吉大学的一名教职员工和一名学生访问并合作进行研究。面向高中生的推广活动将使他们进一步熟悉工程专业，研究成果将用于开发一门新的大学课程。提高材料在高温条件下的稳定性的创新技术有可能提高能源效率，同时减少污染物和碳排放。这是通过精确控制晶粒结构、位错结构、织构和析出相的弥散来实现的。最近，PI和Goali合作伙伴Curtiss Wright Surface Technology开发了一种热机械技术，使用循环激光喷丸和退火级，即使在高温下也能稳定添加制造的镍基高温合金的组织。所有以前研究的喷丸工艺都无法生产出适用于高温应用的坚固材料，而且在新工艺中控制稳定性的机制尚不清楚。研究的目的是通过光谱、显微镜和力学测试等技术来了解稳定化的机理。初步数据表明，这项技术在传统制造和3D打印镍基高温合金中都具有使用的潜力。虽然这项研究的重点将是添加制造的Inconel 718，但也将研究广泛的其他高温合金以及其他材料，如Ti6Al4V。所获得的见解将有助于用先进材料制造零部件，从而在喷气发动机和燃气轮机等能源密集型应用中实现节能。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award will investigate manufacturing techniques for high temperature materials used in critical components such as turbine engine blades in the aerospace and energy industries. This research will generate new knowledge related to the understanding and implementation of a novel technique in which 3D printed materials are treated with cycles of laser peening and heat treatment. Laser peening is a well-established surface engineering process that is known to enhance strength, but its use has been limited to parts that are used at temperatures below 100C. The novelty of this new manufacturing technique is the ability to enhance the stability of processed materials at much higher temperatures. This GOALI collaboration between the University of Alabama and Curtiss Wright Surface Technology will uncover the strengthening mechanisms and enable control of the process, allowing for a smooth translation to the industrial sector. The award will support graduate and undergraduate students, providing them with internships and the opportunity to learn about an advanced technology. It will also support a faculty member and a student from Tuskegee University to visit and collaborate in the research. Outreach to high school students will further familiarize them with engineering majors, and the research results will be used to develop a new university course.Innovative techniques that enhance the stability of materials when exposed to high-temperature conditions have potential to increase energy efficiency while simultaneously reducing pollutants and carbon emissions. This is achievable through engineering properties via precise manipulation of grain structure, dislocation structure, texture, and dispersion of precipitated phases. Recently the PI and GOALI partner Curtiss Wright Surface Technology developed a thermal-mechanical technique, using cyclic laser peening and annealing stages, to stabilize the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based superalloys even after exposure to high temperatures. All previously-studied peening processes had been unable to produce robust materials for high temperature applications, and the mechanisms that control the stability in the new process are unknown. The research objective is to understand the stabilizing mechanisms through techniques such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and mechanical testing. The preliminary data shows the potential of this technique for use in both traditionally-fabricated and 3D-printed nickel-based superalloys. While the focus of this research will be on additively manufactured Inconel 718, a wide range of other superalloys as well as other materials such as Ti6Al4V will also be studied. The insights gained will help with fabricating parts from advanced materials, which can enable energy savings in energy-intensive applications such as jet engines and gas turbines.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.