This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project examines the feasibility of using a casting transformation superplastic forming (TSP) hybrid process to produce affordable, high quality titanium parts, primarily for the aerospace industry. The project is aimed at preserving the advantages and reducing the cost and processing time, by exploring the attributes of investment casting and TSP. TSP is slow relative to conventional SPF, but investment casting can provide near net shape, greatly reducing the time required for TSP to achieve a final desired shape. Conversely, cast titanium microstructures are only amenable to superplastic forming by TSP. In this project, blanks will be cast and undergo TSP to selected final forms. Specimens will be inspected/tested for dimensional control, pre- and post-TSP microstructural characterization, and mechanical properties. The ability to produce complex titanium components by this approach could offer a significant cost savings allowing for even more widespread use of titanium.
The broader impacts from this technology would be a new casting process. If successful, this technology could be used immediately to replace more expensive SPF for forged/machined structures, as well as allowing for more sophisticated and complex shapes. There would be a pay-off through weight reduction (thinner walls) as well as a reduction in bulk and weight for related support structures, increasing the thrust-to-weight ratio and overall fuel efficiency of aerospace systems.
