The broader impact/commercial potential of Partnerships for Innovation ? Research Partnerships (PFI-RP) project is to develop new stainless steel (SS) alloys. These materials are important for structural components that need to operate under extreme conditions such as high temperature and/or radiation damage, but some of these alloys suffer from high processing cost and difficulties in welding. This project addresses these challenges with a unique hybrid platform to selectively produce special SS alloys during the additive manufacturing of stainless steel, expected to be 22% of the metal additive manufacturing market by 2023. Finally, we will inspire and educate the next generation of scientists and innovators by training the graduate students participating in the project.
The proposed project is highly innovative and aims to integrate a microreactor-assisted nanomaterial 3D printhead (MAN3D) into a laser directed energy deposition (DED) printer. The former will deploy targeted volumes of nanomaterials at the point-of-build, with lower energy requirements, thus eliminating the need to store and transport potentially hazardous materials. The proposed novel process is distinctive and will advance the state of the art and current knowledge because it does not require an aerosol, it generates reactive chemical fluxes in-situ via an activation processing step, and it is solvent-free. This project addresses knowledge gaps such as the design optimization of a MAN3D printhead for integration with a laser DED printer, the controlling of reaction parameters to generate controlled reactive fluxes, strategies to prevent channel fouling, process optimization for nanostructure printing, and the controlled fabrication of oxide-dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys with targeted properties.
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.
