I-Corps: Hybrid additive manufacturing that provides computational solutions to fabricate geometrically complex components

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of a software platform that provides hybrid manufacturing solutions for designing light-weight mechanical systems with predictable short- and long-term failure rates. Providing a targeted hybrid manufacturing solution may extend service life and reduce operational costs by improving strength and production quality. As a result, additive manufacturing becomes accessible to aerospace and biomedical applications that have strict functional design and reliability requirements or geometrically complex structures. Geometric complexity and lattice structures are becoming a staple in modern design. Current tools such as topology optimization are incapable of maximizing strength-to-weight ratios. This software platform provides a hybrid manufacturing solution that optimizes weight while it proactively increases strength through interlayer cold working. In aerospace components, this lowers the buy-to-fly ratio by saving weight, which lowers fuel cost. In addition, this software platform addresses maintenance and reliability issues of legacy aircraft and tool-and-die components by significantly reducing lead times for replacement parts with enhanced aftermarket performance. The technology may provide industry with software solutions to best manufacture components requiring weight savings or known times to failure. This I-Corps project is based on the development of a hybrid additive manufacturing technology that combines three-dimensional printing with secondary material strengthening processes, such as laser peening, to improve functional performance. Laser peening is a surface treatment that induces favorable compressive residual stress in components to increase hardness and strength throughout large build volumes. The technical barrier addressed by this technology is understanding when, where, and how much laser peening is needed throughout the build volume. The proposed technology provides computational solutions for hybrid additive manufacturing that identify optimal locations for interlayer peening needed to achieve the highest possible strength-to-weight ratios without compromising functionality or performance. The model is able to simulate distortion and strength from cumulative residual stress fields induced by interlayer peening. This technology has been shown to increase toughness of stainless steel by 50% and increase corrosion resistance of a biomedical-grade magnesium alloy by 70% compared to traditional additive manufacturing.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.