This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) award provides funding for an exploration of risk-based process design in the forging of safety critical parts. This exploration will address: (1) development of Monte Carlo approaches suitable for capturing the probability law on the location and severity of point defects in deformation processing, (2) development analytical foundations necessary to model process risk, and (3) exploration of computational models suitable for optimizing process design in the presence of risk. Particular emphasis will be given to estimating and measuring the risk distribution for specific manufacturing process alternatives. Point-defect density functional transformations under net shape forging will be characterized to capture risk associated with specific design alternative, and the design valuations and the associated net shaping risk will be modeled for process optimization.
If successful, the results of this research will lead to improvements in the design of forging processes in particular and manufacturing operations in general. It is anticipated that these process improvements could make net shaping technology suitable for the manufacture of airframe structural parts, helicopter rotor hubs, aeroengine blades, turbine rotors, automotive axles etc., leading to dramatic manufacturing cost reductions and improved performance risk profiles. This work will also contribute to risk based finite element computational tools and methodologies for the engineering of optimal metal forming operations.
