9528684 Lavernia Products fabricated directly to net shape save energy by minimizing or eliminating the disposal problems associated with scrap. A new net shape manufacturing process that uses reactive spray deposition to produce a fine grain structure, ductile, high strength material that can be superplastic formed into useful products will be investigated. The grain refinement may produce superior products with enhanced properties. The research combines computational and experimental investigations of aluminum alloys, low carbon steel, and magnesium alloys. Experimental work will use reactive spray deposition using liquid-gas and liquid-solid reactions as the first step in refining grain sizes below the superplastic limit. Models will be developed for reactive atomization and deposition, and droplet-particle interactions. Experiments and analytical measurements will define the relationship between grain size and spray deposition conditions, with additional experiments to characterize the superplastic behavior of these materials. If successful, the project will reduce energy and waste material in fabricating products, with large potential energy savings in the fabrication of aluminum products. ***
