Projects and Grants per year
Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Investigating the influence of scan strategy on the fatigue resistance of additively manufactured
thin-wall Inconel 718
Additive manufacturing (AM) holds tremendous promise for significantly reducing the cost to
manufacture parts with complex geometries. One major hurdle to realizing this promise is the
development of robust process-structure-property models that consider the unique processing conditions
of AM. Unlike traditional materials, broadly applicable models are difficult if not impossible to generate
due to the vast complexities present in AM which can vary layer by layer and are dependent on the local
geometry. Instead, individual alloys, printing techniques, and process parameters must be studied. Results
from such studies can then be leveraged to optimize AM processing routes for engineering applications as
well as inform future studies for other alloys and print strategies. This proposed research seeks to
elucidate the manner in which small scale features of additive parts (e.g. thin walls) possess disparate
microstructure and properties from areas toward the center of the part for Inconel 718 (IN718) fabricated
using laser powder bed fusion. Inconel 718 is a precipitation-strengthened Ni-based alloy used in a wide
variety of applications both for NASA and throughout the aerospace industry due to its strength and high
temperature resistance. Microstructural characterization will quantify the grain size/shape, phases present,
segregation of elements, and porosity; all of which are expected to be a function of orientation.
Mechanical characterization, primarily focusing on low-cycle fatigue testing, will quantify the impact of
part geometry and build strategy on the fatigue resistance of IN718. Furthermore, to elucidate the impact
of difficult to detect subsurface porosity on fatigue life, thin wall compact tension samples were
fabricated in both horizontal and vertical orientations with modified build strategies to produce both
specimens with subsurface porosity and those that are fully dense. These results will inform ongoing
complementary NASA investigations intended to optimize the properties of AM IN718 parts with
complex geometries.
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 8/1/23 → 10/31/24 |
Funding
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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Projects
- 1 Active
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NASA Kentucky Space Grant Consortium Program 2020-2024
Martin, A., Renfro, M. & Smith, S.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
2/4/20 → 2/3/25
Project: Research project