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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Electroslag additive manufacturing: A pathway for high throughput near net shape production

Electroslag Additive Manufacturing (ESAM), a new high-throughput additive manufacturing (AM) method that combines Electroslag Strip Cladding (ESC) and wire arc AM (WAAM) is introduced. This combination enables the high deposition rate of ESC (more than 20 kg/h with a 60 mm strip electrode) to benefit from the precise geometric control of WAAM. As a precursor to ESAM, the ESC process is investigated in an AM context independently by evaluating both direct and staggered bead-stacking strategies and analyzing the microstructural and mechanical properties of each. This is followed by an ESAM demonstration producing an annular geometry by pairing ESC with gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW), wherein GTAW is utilized to construct annular walls that are subsequently infilled via ESC. The microstructure and mechanical properties of ESC-only AM are compared with that of the ESAM method and it is shown that printed integral retaining walls do not impact the resulting mechanical properties of ESAM. Furthermore, results indicate that ESAM-produced Alloy 625 parts exhibit tensile properties on par with cast counterparts, supporting the method’s scalability to components exceeding one metric ton, and possibly making ESAM a viable future manufacturing approach for competitive production of large-scale components currently manufactured by casting and forging.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2025

CALPHAD-based ICME design of single-step aging to enhance mechanical strength of WAAM Haynes 282

To match the strength of wire-arc additive manufactured Haynes 282 to its wrought counterpart via a single-step aging heat treatment, the CALPHAD (Calculation of Phase Diagrams) method is integrated with physics-based process-structure-property models and experimental validation. The integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) framework simulates the effects of aging on γ′ and M 23 C 6 precipitation and the resulting yield strength. To improve simulation reliability, the interfacial energies between γ/γ′ and γ/M 23 C 6 carbides were estimated by comparison with precipitation kinetic modeling and measured precipitate sizes. γ′ and M23C6 were found to precipitate simultaneously between 640 and 860 °C, producing microstructures similar to those produced by two-step aging. The optimal γ′ size for peak yield stress was calculated to be 20–23 nm. WAAM Haynes 282 aged at 780 °C for 50 h exceeded the mechanical performance of its wrought counterpart subjected to two-step aging, though desired properties can also be achieved at 800 °C for 16 h or less. The error in yield strength is less than 20 MPa, demonstrating good agreement between the modeling framework and experiments. Creep studies showed that WAAM Haynes 282 exceeded the calculated rupture time, reaching 481 h. This proposed methodology can accelerate the design of aging heat treatments for any γ′-strengthened nickel-base alloy, minimizing the resources required for trial-and-error experiments.

CALPHAD↗
DOE OSTI2022

Integrated Computational Materials and Mechanical Modeling for Additive Manufacturing of Alloys with Graded Structure Used in Fossil Fuel Power Plants

Wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) has demonstrated its unique capability of producing large-size alloy components with a significantly reduced fabrication time and enhanced geometry design freedom. In this project, the team has developed an ICME (Integrated Computational Materials Engineering) modeling framework, which supports the WAAM of the AUSC (Advanced Ultra-Supercritical) power plant components. The manufacturing design has been applied to Inconel 740H, steel P91, as well as the dissimilar alloy components between steel P91 and Inconel 740H. The ICME model framework is developed by considering two types of modeling. First, mechanistic modeling has been applied to control the printing quality and understand the sequence of the dissimilar printing of the wall structure. The following models have been included in the developed ICME framework: finite element thermal model, grain structure model, residual stress simulation, crystal plasticity model, CALPHAD-based precipitation kinetic model, phase stability prediction, thermal expansion predictive model, and heuristic creep model. Secondary, a physics-based machine learning model has also been developed based on the ICME model structure. The machine learning model development is based on the ICME model prediction with calibration of the experiments. In addition, the WAAM has been utilized as a high-throughput experimental tool rapidly generating a gradient of alloy composition to facilitate experimental database generation for process-structure-property relationships. Such a database directly supported the ICME-enhanced machine learning, which further assisted in intermediate composition block design between P91 and 740H. A high-throughput screening study of the oxidation resistance has been performed based on such high-throughput experimentation. Based on the computational design, several dissimilar alloy manufacturing with post-heat treatment have been performed with a comprehensive evaluation of mechanical performance, including hardness mapping, yield strength, creep resistance. In this project, the single component of P91 and 740H processed by WAAM after heat treatment designed by ICME has demonstrated higher performance in yield strength and creep resistance than the wrought materials. The P91 sample prepared by WAAM with ICME-designed heat treatment performs better than P92 in creep resistance. The designed graded alloy printing with intermediate block shows a promising performance that exceeds the traditional welding. Moreover, the current research indicates the high need for location-specific design analysis with uncertainty quantification, an important topic that deserves more dedicated research. The achievement of this project demonstrated the promising future of WAAM in structural alloy manufacturing for energy power plant development. Successful printing requires synergetic efforts made by manufacturing, mechanical, and materials sciences.

20 FOSSIL-FUELED POWER PLANTS↗
DOE OSTI2023

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND REGULATORY TESTING OF CANISTERS FOR SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL MANAGEMENT

The back end of the fuel cycle focuses on the interim storage, transportation, and final disposition of the spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors. Commercial light water nuclear power stations across the United States operate with fuel assemblies being irradiated for up to 6 years (planned) in the reactor pressure vessel. After their planned irradiation, the fuel assemblies are moved to a spent fuel pool within the facility complex. After the spent nuclear fuel is removed from the fuel pool, it is typically inserted into a welded metal canister that can be transferred between overpacks for storage, transportation and possibly disposal. Most dry storage systems being used by industry today use dual purpose canisters (DPCs), designed for use in storage and transportation overpacks, but not specifically designed for disposal. Triple purpose-canisters, designed for disposal in addition to storage and transportation, have also been researched. Traditional manufacturing methods for spent fuel canisters involve fusion welding along the length or circumference of the canister which results in high tensile residual stresses in the joint weld zone (WZ) and heat affected zone (HAZ). In this paper, spent fuel canister designs were printed by wire arc additive manufacturing (AM) using the 316L SS welding wire to demonstrate: 1. Feasibility of spent nuclear fuel canister fabrication using this advanced manufacturing method, 2. Dynamic response of the additive manufacture canister design when subjected to the federally mandated Normal Conditions of Transport (NCT) and Hypothetical Accident Conditions (HAC) physical tests for Type B packages. This paper will focus on the canister printing design and structural tests. The AM 3D printed design, regulatory testing, and post-test evaluation of the canister tested to the 10 CFR 71.71 and 10 CFR 71.73 requirements will be presented. One AM canister design was subjected to the penetration, free drop, and puncture test. Before and after the dynamic structural tests, the AM canister design was scanned with a handheld scanner to capture a 3D CAD geometry to compare to the 3D printed canister design in the deformed shape. The scanned geometry was sectioned in areas with deformation and the cross-section profile was measured to determine accurate and repeated results of the deformed shape of the AM canister design.

Martinez, Oscar↗
NASA NTRS2005

Environmental Influence of Gravity and Pressure on Arc Tracking of Insulated Wires Investigated

Momentary short-circuit arcs between a defective polyimide-insulated wire and another conductor may thermally char (pyrolize) the insulating material. The charred polyimide, being conductive, can sustain the short-circuit arc, which may propagate along the wire through continuous pyrolization of the polyimide insulation (arc tracking). If the arcing wire is part of a multiple-wire bundle, the polyimide insulation of other wires within the bundle may become thermally charred and start arc tracking also (flash over). Such arc tracking can lead to complete failure of an entire wire bundle, causing other critical spacecraft or aircraft failures. Unfortunately, all tested candidate wire insulations for aerospace vehicles were susceptible to arc tracking. Therefore, a test procedure was designed at the NASA Lewis Research Center to select the insulation type least susceptible to arc tracking. This test procedure addresses the following three areas of concern: (1) probability of initiation, (2) probability of reinitiation (restrike), and (3) extent of arc tracking damage (propagation rate). Item 2 (restrike probability) is an issue if power can be terminated from and reapplied to the arcing wire (by a switch, fuse, or resettable circuit breaker). The degree of damage from an arcing event (item 3) refers to how easily the arc chars nearby insulation and propagates along the wire pair. Ease of nearby insulation charring can be determined by measuring the rate of arc propagation. Insulation that chars easily will propagate the arc faster than insulation that does not char very easily. A popular polyimide insulated wire for aerospace vehicles, MIL-W-81381, was tested to determine a degree of damage from an arcing event (item 3) in the following three environments: (1) microgravity with air at 1-atm pressure, (2) 1g with air at 1 atm, and (3) 1g within a 10^-6 Torr vacuum. The microgravity 1-atm air was the harshest environment, with respect to the rate of damage of arc tracking, for the 20 AWG (American Wiring Gauge) MIL-W-81381 wire insulation type . The vacuum environment resulted in the least damage. Further testing is planned to determine if the environmental results are consistent between insulation types and to evaluate the other two parameters associated with arc tracking susceptibility.

Source record↗
DOE OSTI2023

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel Wire Feedstock Development for Large Format Additive Manufacturing - CRADA 620 (Abstract)

This CRADA project funded through DOE’s INFUSE program seeks to demonstrate the viability of fabricating large, complex parts from oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel with advanced manufacturing. Exhibiting excellent radiation tolerance and high mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, ODS steel is a promising structural material candidate for near-plasma components in fusion energy systems. Its use, however, has been limited by a lack of manufacturability. This project will seek to produce ODS steel wire through a solid-state shear assisted extrusion process and then demonstrate that the wire can undergo controlled local melting while being welded with the final part sufficiently retaining the beneficial properties of ODS steel. This would allow the use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to manufacture large-scale ODS parts, even though ODS is currently only available as a powder. WAAM is a promising technique for producing components like the replaceable ARC vacuum vessel in CFS’ fusion reactor design. Meanwhile, this project will also expand PNNL’s capability in producing custom wire feedstock with friction extrusion, enabling downstream large-scale manufacturing with WAAM and solid-state based additive manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Ferritic Steel Wire Feedstock Development for Larger Format Additive Manufacturing (CRADA Final Report)

This CRADA project funded through DOE’s INFUSE program sought to demonstrate the viability of fabricating large, complex parts from oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steel with advanced manufacturing. Exhibiting excellent radiation tolerance and high mechanical performance at elevated temperatures, ODS steel is a promising structural material candidate for near-plasma components in fusion energy systems. Its use, however, has been limited by a lack of manufacturability. This project sought to produce ODS steel wire through a solid-state shear assisted extrusion process and then demonstrate that the wire can undergo controlled local melting while being welded with the final part sufficiently retaining the beneficial properties of ODS steel. This would allow the use of wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to manufacture large-scale ODS parts, even though ODS is currently only available as a powder. WAAM is a promising technique for producing components like the replaceable ARC vacuum vessel in CFS’ fusion reactor design. Meanwhile, this project will also expand PNNL’s capability in producing custom wire feedstock with friction extrusion, enabling downstream large-scale manufacturing with WAAM and solid-state based additive manufacturing. The project achieved its goals of developing tooling and fixturing to produce ODS wire at smaller diameters than previous projects. Several small lengths of wire of 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm diameter in the range of 2.5-30 mm long were produced at tool temperatures that are known to cause ODS particle coarsening (~1200 °C). Fixtures and tooling for longer (>1 m) wires were developed but further process development is needed reduce tool temperature during extrusions and to increase wire length needed for WAAM testing and development.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Comparative Study of Additively Manufactured Inconel 625 In the As-Built and Heat-Treated Condition

This study was conducted to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 manufactured with laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), electron beam melting (EBM), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), electron beam directed energy deposition (EB-DED), laser powder directed energy deposition (LP-DED), and laser wire directed energy deposition (LW-DED) in both the as built and heat-treated condition. The heat treatment in this study included stress relieving, hot isostatic pressure (HIP), and solution treatment. The effects of the heat treatment on the grain widths and hardness of the alloy will be observed across the technologies before and after heat-treatment. At the end of this study there will be a comparative analysis of the alloy Inconel 625 across the six technologies.

V Luna↗
DOE OSTI2020

Investigation of flow regimes in arc plasma–gas interactions using a two-temperature arc in crossflow model

The perpendicular impingement of a gas stream on an electric arc, a configuration known as the arc in crossflow, is of primary relevance in the study of plasma-gas interactions, as well as in industrial applications such as circuit breakers and wire-arc spraying. The flow dynamics in the arc in crossflow are the result of coupled fluid-thermal-electromagnetic phenomena accompanied by large property gradients, which can produce significant deviations from Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) among electrons and gas species. These characteristics can lead to the establishment of distinct flow regimes depending on the relative values of the controlling parameters of the system, such as inflow velocity, arc current, and inter-electrode spacing. A two-temperature non-LTE (NLTE) model is used to investigate the arc dynamics and the establishment of flow regimes in the arc in crossflow. The plasma flow model is implemented within a nonlinear Variational Multiscale (VMS) numerical discretization approach that is less dissipative, and hence better suited to capture unstable behavior, than traditional VMS methods commonly used in computational fluid dynamics simulations. The Reynolds and the Enthalpy dimensionless numbers, characterizing the relative flow strength and arc strength, respectively, are chosen as the controlling parameters of the system. Simulation results reveal the onset of dynamic behavior and the establishment of steady, periodic, quasi-periodic, and chaotic or potentially turbulent, regimes, as identified by distinct spatiotemporal fluctuations. The computational findings reveal the role of increasing the relative arc strength on enhancing flow stability by delaying the growth of fluctuating and unstable flow behavior.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2026

AMVOS: Additive Manufacturing Video Object Segmentation Dataset

This dataset provides labeled video frames from four additive manufacturing (AM) processes for video object segmentation (VOS) tasks. It contains 90 video segments comprising 900 individually annotated frames across five AM datasets: laser hot-wire directed energy deposition (LHW-DED), tungsten inert gas wire arc additive manufacturing (TIG-WAAM), plasma arc welding (PAW), visible-light polymer extrusion (visPolymer), and near-infrared polymer extrusion (irPolymer). Each video segment consists of 10 contiguous frames with corresponding pixel-level object instance annotations. Depending on the process, two of four object classes are labeled per frame: Melt Pool, Feed Wire, Nozzle, or Material. Raw frames are provided as .jpg files and annotations as palettized .png files. The dataset follows the directory structure of established VOS benchmarks (DAVIS, YouTube-VOS, MOSE), enabling direct integration into VOS model training and evaluation pipelines for foundation model fine-tuning, domain adaptation, or zero-shot performance benchmarking. Data was collected at Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.

Wetzel, Jon [ORNL]↗
DOE OSTI2024

Characterization of build parameters and microstructure in low heat input WAAM of Ni-based superalloy Haynes 282

Conference paper for 2024 10th International Conference on Advances in Materials, Manufacturing & Repair for Power Plants. Ni-based superalloy Haynes 282 is a prime candidate for advanced power generation systems due to its superior fabricability, weldability, and high-temperature performance. Additive manufacturing offers potential cost and time savings for gas turbine components. Wire-arc direct energy deposition can create large components but often requires post-processing treatments, such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP), to address porosity. This study explores a low heat-input, high deposition rate GMAW process to achieve fully dense Haynes 282 without HIP. Twenty-one blocks were deposited, varying travel and wire feed speeds. Initial analysis (visual inspection, microstructural examination, and CT) revealed the impact of build parameters on internal porosity and defects. Scanning electron microscopy provided insights into structural heterogeneity and microstructural properties. Related journal article can be found at https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.cp.am-epri-2024p0001.

Adam, Benjamin↗
NASA NTRS2024

Evaluation of an Al-Cu-Zn-Mg Alloy for Wire-Fed Additive Manufacturing

A collaborative research study was conducted to evaluate an experimental Al-Cu-Zn-Mg alloy, designated Al C380H, developed by Arconic Corporation for wire-fed additive manufacturing (AM) techniques such as NASA’s electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF 3 ) process and the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The goal of the study was to determine, based upon metallurgical properties, whether additively manufactured Al C380H represented a viable alternative for applications currently using wrought 7xxx series aluminum. Al 2319 and Al 7075 were also deposited as AM-compatible and non-AM-compatible baselines, respectively. Evaluation was based on tensile, fracture, and corrosion properties. The strength and ductility of Al C380H-T6 materials produced by EBF3 and WAAM were sufficiently lower than typical values for Al 7050-T7 to indicate that additively manufactured Al C380H is not a viable replacement for current parts fabricated with Al 7050, due largely to the significant losses in Zn and Mg and development of porosity during deposition. EBF 3 parameters that reduced porosity, such as increasing electron beam current, higher raster frequency, sharper beam focus, and slower travel speed, augmented de-alloying of fugitive solute. Further enhancement of Zn and Mg content in Al C380H feedstock wire combined with adjustments to deposition conditions to minimize porosity may enable production of Al C380H parts by EBF 3 or WAAM that are viable replacements for current Al 7050 wrought products.

electron beam freeform fabrication (EBF3)↗
DOE OSTI2024

Denoising diffusion probabilistic models for generative alloy design

Inverse material design is an extremely challenging optimization task made difficult by, in part, the highly nonlinear relationship linking performance with composition. Quantitative approaches have improved significantly owing to advances in high throughput experimentation and computational thermodynamics. However, existing physics-based tools are mostly forward models; input a chemistry and obtain a prediction. More recently the materials community has leveraged advances in the machine learning community to establish novel inverse design frameworks. Very recently denoising diffusion probabilistic models have been shown to be extremely powerful generators producing synthetic data of various modalities e.g. images, text, audio, tables, etc.. In this work a novel framework for alloy design and optimization is proposed leveraging these class of models. Five key generative tasks are demonstrated (1) unconditional generation (2) composition conditioned generation (3) property conditioned generation (4) multi-feedstock conditioned generation and (5) generative optimization. These methods were tested on three case studies: high entropy alloy design, superalloy binder jet additive manufacturing, and in-situ dual-feedstock wire-arc additive manufacturing. Results indicate that the established models are extremely flexible, expressive, and robust. The architecture’s flexibility and training procedure empower the model to learn complex intra-compositional and composition-property relationships. Furthermore, the probabilistic nature of these models makes them well suited for addressing solution non-uniqueness and tackling uncertainty quantification tasks. While the fidelity and quantity of the underlying training data is paramount, we envision that future alloy design frameworks will make extensive use of these kinds of machine learning models as “search” tools bolstering the utility of experimental and computational approaches.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Process-level cost analysis of hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace structural components

Hybrid manufacturing is a promising route for producing complex aerospace components, yet systematic cost benchmarking across multiple additive-subtractive pathways remains limited. This study presents a comprehensive process-based cost analysis of seven hybrid manufacturing routes, including laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF), powder- and wire-directed energy deposition (DED), wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), metal binder jetting (MBJ), and agility forging, followed by scanning and finish machining. Parametric cost models incorporating direct material, labor, and energy costs were developed. L-PBF results are discussed in detail for a pickle fork component and directly compared with commercial pricing. Across all hybrid routes, labor emerged as the dominant cost driver, contributing more than 70% of total manufacturing cost in some cases. AFSD exhibited the lowest cost for aluminum components, with MBJ being its 316 L stainless steel counterpart, after accounting for geometric scaling. Benchmarking against industrial quotes suggests that hybrid manufacturing can achieve cost levels comparable to those of commercial services, although labor-intensive processes exhibit greater deviation. The analysis highlights automation of material handling, setup, and supervision as key opportunities for improving economic competitiveness. Overall, the proposed framework provides a quantitative basis for evaluating and optimizing hybrid manufacturing pathways for aerospace applications.

Baruah, Sweta [ORNL] (ORCID:0009000174256207)↗
DOE OSTI2025

High temperature tensile properties of H13 tool steel fabricated via binder jet additive manufacturing

H13 is one of the most used steels for hot work tooling applications like die casting. Binder jet additive manufacturing (BJAM) offers a cost-effective solution to fabricate tools with performance enhancing features like internal cooling channels. While full densification of BJAM H13 has been demonstrated in the literature, the room and high temperature tensile properties of the material, and the effect of post-process treatments like hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and heat treatment (HT) are unknown. Here we use HIP+HT to obtain a combination of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation to failure that is superior to H13 fabricated via laser powder bed fusion and wire arc additive manufacturing. HIP+HT BJAM H13 has a superior UTS (1836 MPa) compared with conventionally processed (1671 MPa) H13 but has lower plastic elongation. We report that as-sintered samples have an extensive network of continuous grain boundary (GB) carbides that contribute to brittle fracture. HIP+HT results in partial dissolution of GB carbides and formation of a fine martensitic microstructure resulting in superior tensile strength and elongation compared with as-sintered H13. We use thermo-kinetic calculations to rationalize the effects of HIP+HT on microstructure and properties.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Extended continuous cooling transformation diagram for 410 stainless steel encompassing δ → γ and γ → αʹ transformations determined by dilatometry

In this study, we use dilatometry to construct an extended Continuous Cooling Transformation (CCT) diagram for 410 stainless steel, capturing both δ → γ and γ → αʹ transformations specifically for directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM) applications. To ensure that the findings are representative of AM specific microstructures and compositions, dilatometry coupons were extracted from a wire arc DED wall, thereby preserving the inherent microstructural and compositional variability within the material. The on-heating phase transformations, including A c1 , A c3 , and γ → δ, were found to be essentially location independent, despite the typical heterogeneity associated with AM. Conversely, increasing cooling rates were observed to shift the start and finish temperatures of both δ → γ and γ → αʹ transformations to lower values. The resulting extended CCT diagram offers a more complete depiction of phase transformation behavior in the system, enabling accurate microstructure evolution modeling and residual stress predictions specifically for directed energy deposition additive manufacturing applications.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Martensitic transformation induced strength-ductility synergy in additively manufactured maraging 250 steel by thermal history engineering

Maraging steels are known for their exceptional strength but suffer from limited work hardening and ductility. Here, in this study, we report an intermittent printing strategy to tailor the microstructure and mechanical properties of maraging 250 steel via tuning the thermal history during wire-arc directed energy deposition. By introducing a dwell time between adjacent layers, the maraging 250 steel is cooled below the martensite start temperature, triggering thermally-driven martensitic transformation during the printing process. Thermal cycling during subsequent layer deposition results in the formation of reverted austenite which shows a refined microstructure and induces elemental segregation between martensite and reverted austenite. The Ni enrichment in the austenite promotes stabilization of the reverted austenite upon cooling to room temperature. The reverted austenite is metastable during deformation, leading to strain-induced martensitic transformation under loading. Specifically, a 3 min interlayer dwell time produces a maraging 250 steel with approximately 8% reverted austenite, resulting in improved work hardening via martensitic transformation induced plasticity during deformation. Meanwhile, the higher cooling rate and refined prior austenite grains lead to substantially refined martensitic grains (by approximately fivefold) together with an increased dislocation density. With 3 min interlayer dwell time, the yield strength of the printed maraging 250 steel increases from 836 MPa to 990 MPa, and the uniform elongation is doubled from 3.2% to 6.5%. This intermittent deposition strategy demonstrates the potential to tune the microstructure of maraging steels for achieving strength-ductility synergy by engineering the thermal history during additive manufacturing.

Additive manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2024

Machine tool cross beam design, fabrication, and testing using metal big area additive manufacturing

This paper describes the application of metal Big Area Additive Manufacturing (mBAAM) to the fabrication of a machine tool cross beam. The replacement of a traditional box design weldment with a new design printed by wire arc additive manufacturing using the MedUSA system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is detailed. This requires a new design strategy based on the unique mBAAM capabilities. The intent of the new design is to reduce mass, while maintaining the dynamic stiffness. To compare the two designs, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are measured using impact testing and predicted using finite element analysis. It is confirmed that the printed structure dynamics agreed with the numerical model predictions, which demonstrates that it is feasible to model a large-scale mBAAM part and understand its behavior prior to printing. Another notable outcome of this study is that the significant residual stress and distortion in the print indicate that knowledge gaps remain for widespread implementation of mBAAM.

42 ENGINEERING↗