This Grant Opportunity for Academic Liaison with Industry (GOALI) award will investigate manufacturing techniques for high temperature materials used in critical components such as turbine engine blades in the aerospace and energy industries. This research will generate new knowledge related to the understanding and implementation of a novel technique in which 3D printed materials are treated with cycles of laser peening and heat treatment. Laser peening is a well-established surface engineering process that is known to enhance strength, but its use has been limited to parts that are used at temperatures below 100C. The novelty of this new manufacturing technique is the ability to enhance the stability of processed materials at much higher temperatures. This GOALI collaboration between the University of Alabama and Curtiss Wright Surface Technology will uncover the strengthening mechanisms and enable control of the process, allowing for a smooth translation to the industrial sector. The award will support graduate and undergraduate students, providing them with internships and the opportunity to learn about an advanced technology. It will also support a faculty member and a student from Tuskegee University to visit and collaborate in the research. Outreach to high school students will further familiarize them with engineering majors, and the research results will be used to develop a new university course.
Innovative techniques that enhance the stability of materials when exposed to high-temperature conditions have potential to increase energy efficiency while simultaneously reducing pollutants and carbon emissions. This is achievable through engineering properties via precise manipulation of grain structure, dislocation structure, texture, and dispersion of precipitated phases. Recently the PI and GOALI partner Curtiss Wright Surface Technology developed a thermal-mechanical technique, using cyclic laser peening and annealing stages, to stabilize the microstructure of additively manufactured nickel-based superalloys even after exposure to high temperatures. All previously-studied peening processes had been unable to produce robust materials for high temperature applications, and the mechanisms that control the stability in the new process are unknown. The research objective is to understand the stabilizing mechanisms through techniques such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and mechanical testing. The preliminary data shows the potential of this technique for use in both traditionally-fabricated and 3D-printed nickel-based superalloys. While the focus of this research will be on additively manufactured Inconel 718, a wide range of other superalloys as well as other materials such as Ti6Al4V will also be studied. The insights gained will help with fabricating parts from advanced materials, which can enable energy savings in energy-intensive applications such as jet engines and gas turbines.
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.
