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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 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of Lightweight High Pressure Die Casting Tooling

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Mercury Marine partnered to develop and test methods for additively manufactured tooling for aluminum die casting applications under CRADA agreement NFE-20-08193. Tooling is the largest capital expense for high production casting projects. The lead time for tooling is often measured in months with a typical project taking 9-12 months to realize Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) ready die cast samples. This project demonstrated the technical viability of rapidly produced steel components for high pressure die casting tooling via Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). A 410 stainless steel tool was redesigned and optimized with conformal cooling channels and additively manufactured. The finished tool was tested and used to produce over 4000 parts, which well surpassed expectations. A secondary objective was to evaluate the durability of multi-material additively manufactured (AM) components with conformal cooling. A large multi-material tool (H13 and 410SSNiMo) was manufactured using the same methods showing potential reductions in used material and cost. However, the H13 section sustained material cracking. Further analysis showed that the potential cause was the CTE mismatch of the two materials at higher temperatures. It is also suggested that the material mix can be used if the steel processing temperature does not exceed 600 ̊C.This project has shown high potential for using the WAAM technology for creating AM parts for aluminum dies casting. However, the multi-material approach requires extended study and tests.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗
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)↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Analysis of Additively Manufactured Inconel 718 Combustion Behavior in Promoted Oxygen Environments

Promoted combustion testing is a vital tool for engineers to establish the combustion and flammability characteristics of materials (metallic or otherwise) in oxygen enriched environments. Historically, much of the established data for metallic promoted combustion has been with regards to cast and wrought forms. However, with the emergence of additive manufacturing as a preferred method of fabrication, the need exists to evaluate how metals in that form behave. This paper will serve as a review of the work that has been done and an analysis of the nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718, a material popular for aerospace applications such as liquid fueled rocket components and turbine engines. Promoted combustion testing (per the ASTM G124 standard) was conducted on samples of both wrought and selective laser melted fabrication, to provide comparison of flammability response between materials produced by each manufacturing method. Additionally, post-build treatments were applied to test samples to identify any effects on performance provided by hot isostatic pressing, oxygen-getting wrap during HIP, stress relieving, and solutionizing/aging heat treatments. This study will utilize optical and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and metallography to identify the differences in behavior of additively manufactured and wrought Inconel 718.

Additively Manufactured↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Component Applications using Metal Additive Manufacturing Techniques and Materials for Rocket Propulsion

The NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has been involved with various forms of metallic additive manufacturing for use in liquid rocket engine component design, development, and testing since 2010. These AM techniques have been demonstrated to significantly reduce hardware cost, shorten fabrication schedules, increase reliability by reducing the number of joints, and improve hardware performance by allowing fabrication of designs not feasible by conventional means. The focus at the NASA MSFC for these metal additive manufacturing techniques include laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF), blown powder directed energy deposition (DED) and arc-based deposition. A variety of components have been evaluated and tested including thrust chamber injectors, injector components such as faceplates, regeneratively-cooled combustion chambers, regeneratively-cooled nozzles, gas generator and preburner hardware, and augmented spark igniters. To support these component applications in harsh environments, NASA has advanced a variety of “standard” additive manufacturing alloys such as those in the superalloy-family and also evolved new alloys including GRCop-84, GRCop-42, NASA HR-1, and JBK-75. The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the various programs at the NASA MSFC using AM to develop, fabricate, and test combustion devices hardware and the evolution of the new additive alloys. Additional information will be provided on the development of multi-metallic additive manufacturing, post-processing of AM techniques including surface enhancements (polishing) techniques, material and process characterization, future development programs, and dissemination of data to industry partners.

Additive Manufacturing↗
NASA NTRS2014

Additive Manufacturing Design Considerations for Liquid Engine Components

The Marshall Space Flight Center's Propulsion Systems Department has gained significant experience in the last year designing, building, and testing liquid engine components using additive manufacturing. The department has developed valve, duct, turbo-machinery, and combustion device components using this technology. Many valuable lessons were learned during this process. These lessons will be the focus of this presentation. We will present criteria for selecting part candidates for additive manufacturing. Some part characteristics are 'tailor made' for this process. Selecting the right parts for the process is the first step to maximizing productivity gains. We will also present specific lessons we learned about feature geometry that can and cannot be produced using additive manufacturing machines. Most liquid engine components were made using a two-step process. The base part was made using additive manufacturing and then traditional machining processes were used to produce the final part. The presentation will describe design accommodations needed to make the base part and lessons we learned about which features could be built directly and which require the final machine process. Tolerance capabilities, surface finish, and material thickness allowances will also be covered. Additive Manufacturing can produce internal passages that cannot be made using traditional approaches. It can also eliminate a significant amount of manpower by reducing part count and leveraging model-based design and analysis techniques. Information will be shared about performance enhancements and design efficiencies we experienced for certain categories of engine parts.

Whitten, Dave↗
DOE OSTI2025

Determination of the Solid-State Resistance-Weldability of Additively Manufactured 304L Stainless Steel

• A scoping study was undertaken at Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) to determine the solidstate resistance-weldability of additively manufactured 304L stainless steel. • Additive manufacturing of pressure-containing boundaries is of interest to numerous industries. • The approach investigated in this study was a low energy, solid state spot weld (pinch weld). • This general approach has been routinely used for conventionally prepared tubing and is now being expanded to additively manufactured components. • This work aimed to understand the impact of AM on the bond quality and weld geometry of pinch welds.

Rogers, Jeremy K. [Savannah River National Laborat↗
NASA NTRS2014

Additive Manufacturing Modeling and Simulation A Literature Review for Electron Beam Free Form Fabrication

Additive manufacturing is coming into industrial use and has several desirable attributes. Control of the deposition remains a complex challenge, and so this literature review was initiated to capture current modeling efforts in the field of additive manufacturing. This paper summarizes about 10 years of modeling and simulation related to both welding and additive manufacturing. The goals were to learn who is doing what in modeling and simulation, to summarize various approaches taken to create models, and to identify research gaps. Later sections in the report summarize implications for closed-loop-control of the process, implications for local research efforts, and implications for local modeling efforts.

Seufzer, William J.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

AMEBoP: Additive Manufacturing Enabled Biofilm Prevention

Objective: Leverage additive manufacturing to fortify Environmental Control and Life Support Systems (ECLSS) manifolds and other vulnerable components against biofilm growth during dormancy by eliminating dead legs to reduce total stagnate fluid volume and available nutrients and by printing from inherently biocidal materials.

ECLSS↗
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↗
DOE OSTI2026

Predicting roughness effects in additively manufactured coolant channels with helical enhancements

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a promising technique for fabrication of complex geometries such as those expected to be utilized in the blanket, first wall, and divertor. In the case of cooling, metallic AM may be exploited to embed geometric enhancements (ribs, rifling, etc.) to improve cooling performance. However, due to the roughness of these unfinished internal AM surfaces, prediction of thermal hydraulic performance in such channels is difficult. In this work, we consider a methodology for predicting pressure drop and heat transfer in AM channels containing helical enhancements (e.g. helical ribs, twisted tapes) that allows the incorporation of roughness data through conventional pipe flow correlations. This methodology is tested using experimental friction factor and heat transfer coefficient data from high-pressure helium coolant flow measurements in AM stainless steel tubes fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. Both a featureless AM tube and one containing helical ribs were considered alongside a conventionally manufactured smooth tube. The AM surface roughness is obtained by profilometry and used to predict an equivalent sand-grain roughness, with this equivalent roughness confirmed through AM featureless tube measurements. Under the proposed methodology, this roughness information is incorporated into predictions of friction factor and Nusselt number for the rifled tube. Furthermore, these predictions agree well with experimental data across a large range of Reynolds numbers, encouraging the use of this methodology for thermal hydraulic analysis of similar systems and design of future coolant channel geometries.

Additive manufacturing↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Additive Manufacturing for Rocket Propulsion Applications

Metal Additive manufacturing (AM) is changing how components are being fabricated for current and next generation spaceflights. AM provides many advantages including cost and schedule reduction, enhanced complexity for light-weighting, consolidation of parts, and improved performance using novel alloys and improved designs. This presentation will highlight some of the use cases of AM in rocket propulsion applications, the various processes and attributes for proper selection, and the integrated lifecycle for proper AM use. As AM evolves, there is a need to better understand these lifecycle design constraints such as geometry, microstructure and resulting properties, and surface texture for proper implementation. Ongoing research is being conducted on integral channel heat exchangers, such as combustion chambers and nozzles, using some of the AM processes. The presentation will conclude with a focus on this AM heat exchanger research and how it may be applied for future spaceflight.

Additive Manufacturing↗
DOE OSTI2026

A scalable framework for efficient coupling of thermal and microstructural simulations in additive manufacturing

Predicting microstructure evolution in metal additive manufacturing (AM) is important for process optimization, but spatiotemporal scale disparities between thermal transport and microstructure evolution create significant challenges for efficient data transfer between simulation codes. To address this, we present Stork, a scalable framework for coupling thermal and microstructural simulations. Stork uses a sparse data representation to identify and store active solidification sub-volumes, enabling highly parallel quad-linear interpolation from coarse thermal grids to fine microstructure grids without large intermediate storage. We demonstrate the framework by coupling the semi-analytic heat transfer code 3DThesis with the time-parallel cellular automata code Toucan. This approach achieves over two orders of magnitude reduction in data generation time and file size compared to prior workflows. Numerical studies show that quad-linear interpolation preserves grain morphology and crystallographic texture in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) simulations for coarsening ratios up to 16. Overall, Stork provides a scalable pathway for high-throughput, component-scale AM simulations on modern high-performance computing systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Elucidating texture and grain morphology contributions to the micromechanical response of additively manufactured Inconel 625

Microstructural variation of additively manufactured (AM) metal components in comparison to wrought counterparts makes certification for critical applications a challenge. Microscale simulations leveraging modern computational tools may be used to supplement testing of AM microstructures, thus accelerating certification by reducing the number of experiments needed. However, as micromechanical response is closely tied to critical properties like fatigue-life and fracture, utilization of these simulations with macroscale experimental data alone is insufficient. One means to attain microscale experimental data is in situ diffraction data collected from synchrotron X-ray sources. In this work, such data were collected during in situ compression of AM Inconel 625 superalloy. Interpretation of experimental results was assisted by massive (8M element) complementary micromechanical simulations performed on sets of virtual microstructures generated using cellular automata. Together, micromechanical data from diffraction experiments and simulations were used to probe the effects of textured “track” microstructures generated during laser powder bed fusion and directional strength-to-stiffness on micromechanical response. Though fiber-averaged directional strength-to-stiffness ratios were expected to dominate given the high elastic anisotropy of the material, the combination of small variations in texture and specific grain configurations unique to AM microstructures lead to significant variability in micromechanical response after yield. The findings emphasize the importance of high-fidelity microstructural representation that captures key texture components and AM-specific morphology for property prediction of AM metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2019

Nasa's Plans for Development of a Standard for Additively Manufactured Components

The current version of NASA standards for manned spaceflight hardware do not contain sufficient detail for the certification of additively manufactured components. The development of additively manufactured standards is currently in work by several standards organizations. However, NASA cannot wait on these organizations to develop such standards. NASA and its program partners in manned spaceflight (Commercial Crew, Space Launch System and the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle) are actively developing additively manufactured components for flight as early as 2019.

Russell, Richard W.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA Efforts to Explore Additively Manufactured Thermal Protection Systems

Development of the thermal protection system (TPS) needed to protect external and internal surfaces during launch, ascent, cruise, and reentry, is a very specialized field with expertise developed over seven decades and has enabled successful robotic as well as human exploration. Well known examples are: 1) the ablative heatshield that protected Apollo Astronauts during reentry in 1960’s, 2) reusable TPS used on the Space Shuttle Orbiter, which is now sought after by commercial space industry, and 3) hot structures, such as Carbon-Carbon and other high temperature materials needed to operate control surfaces and sharp leading edges during hypervelocity flight. TPS function demands fail-safe design to ensure mission success. One TPS does not fit all, and each application requires a unique material along with manufacturing and integration approach. TPS mass is a key metric. A robust but inefficient TPS reduces payload mass. Mission- and domain-unique TPS development and flight certification efforts have been expensive with long lead times. As a result, there are limited TPS choices with high cost. For future commercial efforts to be successful, the ability to rapidly develop TPS, based on specific needs and at a lower cost, without compromising either mass efficiency or functionality is necessary. NASA is looking into this. Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have shown their utility in making complex parts and, through automation, the potential to reduce cost and schedule in some applications. The promise of additive manufacturing to TPS, while exciting, is unexplored. In the past several years, NASA has made exploratory investments in internal development as well as in small business and universities through SBIR and STTR programs. In addition, NASA is bringing together the TPS as well as Additive Manufacturing communities to explore approaches to prioritize focus areas for broad benefits. The very first “Additively Manufactured Thermal Protection System Workshop,” to be held at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston at the end of March of this year, is the culmination of a year-long effort to engage the research, development, and user communities involved in both TPS as well as additive manufacturing. The workshop participants include representatives from large and small commercial space industry, DoD, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, University Researchers and NASA personnel. The proposed talk will highlight future TPS needs of both emerging commercial and Government interests, NASA’s development efforts in additively manufactured TPS, and the findings and recommendations from the first AM TPS Workshop.

Ethiraj Venkatapathy↗
DOE OSTI2025

Robot-based Additive Manufacturing of Lego-type Modular Molds for Wind Blades

The objective of this project is to reduce the cost and lead time of horizontal wind turbine blade mold tooling and blade transportation, while maintaining the highest standards of blade quality. The solution involves a smart-design family of modular molds that are easily transportable to fabrication sites near the place of service. Key innovations include the use of additive manufacturing (AM) to integrate conformal thermal management channels, offering enhanced control over the thermal profiles tailored to specific blade materials. This approach enables in-situ quality assurance during mold fabrication, significantly improves mold life, and allows for reuse across multiple production cycles. Ultimately, the solution aims to optimize both tooling and transportation costs, contributing to the scalability of wind turbine blade production. A significant barrier to scaling up the production of large wind turbine blades lies in the high costs associated with tooling and the transportation of blades. Traditional molds are expensive, bulky, and difficult to transport, adding considerable lead time and cost to the overall manufacturing process. Additionally, transporting blades to distant locations for final assembly further exacerbates these challenges. The project aims to address these inefficiencies by demonstrating a modularized, additive-manufactured mold that meets all necessary blade specification requirements, specifically for blade lengths between 120m and 150m.

17 WIND ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing of Lightweight High Pressure Die Casting Tooling

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Mercury Marine partnered to develop and test methods for additively manufactured tooling for aluminum die casting applications under CRADA agreement NFE- 20-08193. Tooling is the largest capital expense for high production casting projects. The lead time for tooling is often measured in months with a typical project taking 9-12 months to realize Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) ready die cast samples. This project demonstrated the technical viability of rapidly produced steel components for high pressure die casting tooling via Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM). A 410 stainless steel tool was redesigned and optimized with conformal cooling channels and additively manufactured. The finished tool was tested and used to produce over 4000 parts, which well surpassed expectations. A secondary objective was to evaluate the durability of multi-material additively manufactured (AM) components with conformal cooling. A large multi-material tool (H13 and 410SSNiMo) was manufactured using the same methods showing potential reductions in used material and cost. However, the H13 section sustained material cracking. Further analysis showed that the potential cause was the CTE mismatch of the two materials at higher temperatures. It is also suggested that the material mix can be used if the steel processing temperature does not exceed 600 ˚C. This project has shown high potential for using the WAAM technology for creating AM parts for aluminum dies casting. However, the multi-material approach requires extended study and tests.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Impact of Powder Supply Variation on Mechanical Properties for Additive Manufacture of Alloy 718

The Additive Manufacturing Structural Integrity Initiative (AMSII) examined how a number of different Alloy 718 powder lots can create variation in microstructure and mechanical properties in parts fabricated using Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Being a common alloy, Alloy 718 powder can be found in a variety of compositions, fabrication techniques, and powder size distribution. Sixteen virgin powders, and three recycled powders were used to build samples for microstructure analysis, fatigue and tensile testing. The major impacts of the different powders manifested in variations in the microstructure, such as minor phases and grain size variation. There were corresponding variations in mechanical properties. A down-selection of powders were chosen for additional analysis, and a powder recyclability study was completed to look at the effect of reused powder.

Alloy 718↗