Development of Atomiser Nozzle Design to increase Yield (DANDY 2)

航空部件的增材制造（AM）为更轻重量和更高性能的部件创造了机会，这可以显着减少制造浪费（更低的买飞比）和飞机的重量。这将节省燃料，降低运营成本，减少碳排放，从而有利于我们的环境。我们预计在不久的将来不会对飞机的关键部件（如机翼和机身）进行更换，但确实有可能更换对飞行不那么重要的部件，如支架、夹子、铰链、座椅扣和家具。例如，为一架飞机生产1公斤的支架，在制造过程中需要投入10公斤的原材料。从工程设计的角度来看，最终的支架可能仍然含有比应用所需的更多的金属。另一方面，3D打印需要更少的原材料投入，并且可以通过更好的格子类型设计进一步生产重量最小的零件。目前的次优设计是由于传统制造的限制。当我们以一层一层的方式制作AM时，这些限制就会减少。据我们采访过的公司称，航空航天业全面采用增材制造的最大障碍之一是粉末金属的成本和可用性。增材制造中使用的15-45微米部分仅占产量的40%左右。如果喷雾器喷嘴可以设计成将这一比例提高到50-60%，价格将大大降低，可用性将增加，使其更适用于航空航天部件。Liberty Powder Metals（项目负责人）和Materials Processing Institute（分包商）的员工在金属行业拥有超过30年的经验，他们参与了基本氧炼钢、氧枪喷嘴的重新设计，使用测听、物理、数学建模并与喷嘴制造商密切合作，成功地改善了钢浴的精炼，并最大限度地提高了废钢熔化量，使该过程更有效，更经济可行。同样的人和技术将与利兹大学一起在这个项目中使用建模和听力学来研究修改喷雾器喷嘴的可行性。该项目将有助于实现政府的“清洁增长战略”和“净零目标”，通过减少航空零部件制造过程中的浪费、飞机轻量化和降低燃料消耗，为当代和后代保护气候和环境。[0]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-strategy[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law

Additive manufacturing (AM) of aerospace components create opportunities for lighter weight and higher performance parts which could significantly reduce both manufacturing waste (lower buy-to-fly ratio) and the weight of an aircraft. This will result in fuel savings, operational costs and decrease carbon emissions, thereby benefiting our environment.We do not anticipate a change to the crucial parts of the aircraft, such as the wings and fuselage in the near future but there is real potential in the replacement of less flight-critical parts, such as brackets, clamps, hinges, seat buckles and furnishings.To produce a 1kg bracket for an airplane, for example, requires 10kg of raw material input into the manufacturing process. From an engineering design perspective, that final bracket may still contain much more metal than is required for the application. 3D printing, on the other hand, requires far less raw material inputs and can further produce parts that minimise weight through better lattice type design. Current sub-optimal designs are due to the limits of conventional manufacturing. When we make something in layer-by-layer fashion as in AM, those constraints diminish.One of the biggest barriers to the aerospace industry fully adopting additive manufacturing, according to companies we have spoken to, is the cost and availability of the powder metal. The 15-45 micron fraction used in AM is only approximately 40% of the production. If the atomiser nozzle can be designed to increase this fraction to 50-60% the price significantly reduces and availability increases, making it more viable for aerospace components.Liberty Powder Metals (project lead) and the Materials Processing Institute (subcontractor) have employees with over 30 years experience in the metals industry who have been involved in redesigning basic oxygen steelmaking, oxygen lance nozzles, using audiometry, physical, mathematical modelling and working closely with the nozzle manufacturer to successfully improve refining of the steel bath and to maximise the amount of scrap melting to make the process more efficient and economically viable. The same people and skills together with the University of Leeds will be used in this project to use modelling and audiometry to investigate the feasibility of modifying the atomiser nozzle.This project will help deliver on the government's [Clean Growth Strategy][0] and [net zero ambition][1] to protect the climate and environment for current and future generations by reducing waste from the manufacturing of aerospace components, light weighting of aircraft and reducing fuel consumption.[0]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-growth-strategy[1]: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-becomes-first-major-economy-to-pass-net-zero-emissions-law