Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Additive Manufacturing In A Space Environment - A Capstone Design Project Experience, Zain Zafar Khan, Zachary Alan Sobelman, Sharanabasaweshwara Asundi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The employment of additive manufacturing in the non-standard environments like space, ships, or submarines has the potential to be an advanced utility not only in the pre-flight production of aerospace components and structures, but also for the onboard manufacturing of components and tools necessary for future space missions. For example, the ability to produce tools and structural components on the International Space Station can provide the space community the opportunity to make repairs and upgrades to the space station without wasting time and resources transporting such materials through additional missions. Additive manufacturing would allow for space missions to use on …

Development Of A Regeneratively Cooled Liquid Rocket Engine, Dillon Petty, Nicole Zimmerli

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

An additively manufactured (AM) liquid rocket engine, consisting of an injector, combustion chamber, and nozzle, was designed and printed using state-of-the-art methods and materials. The parts were manufactured using laser powder bed fusion. Additive manufacturing allowed for complex geometries and features, such as printing manifolds onto the components with a reduced number of parts. Additive, regenerative cooling channels were designed into the chamber and nozzle to allow for long-duration steady-state operation.

The feed system for the engine was designed and built to allow for pressure-regulated and steady-state testing. Tanks for the fuel and oxidizer were designed and built for a …

Experimental Approach For Development Of A Powder Spreading Metric In Additive Manufacturing, M. Hossein Sehhat, Austin T. Sutton, Zane Yates, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Powder Spreading is a Vital Step of Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing (AM) Processes. the Quality of Spread Powder Can Considerably Influence the Properties of Fabricated Parts. Poorly Packed Powder Beds with High Surface Roughness Result in Printed Part Layers with Large Porosity and Low Dimensional Accuracy, Leading to Poor Mechanical Properties. Therefore, the Powder Spread ability and its Dependence on Process Parameters and Powder Characteristics Should Be Quantified to Improve the Efficiency of Powder-Based AM Methods. This Study Proposes a Novel Dimensionless Powder Spread Ability Metric that Can Be Commonly Used in Different Powder-Based AM Processes. the Quality of Spread …

Predicting Defects In Laser Powder Bed Fusion Using In-Situ Thermal Imaging Data And Machine Learning, Sina Malakpour Estalaki, Cody S. Lough, Robert G. Landers, Edward C. Kinzel, Tengfei Luo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Variation in the local thermal history during the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process in Additive Manufacturing (AM) can cause micropore defects, which add to the uncertainty of the mechanical properties (e.g., fatigue life, tensile strength) of the built materials. In-situ sensing has been proposed for monitoring the AM process to minimize defects, but successful minimization requires establishing a quantitative relationship between the sensing data and the porosity, which is particularly challenging with a large number of variables (e.g., laser speed, power, scan path, powder property). Physics-based modeling can simulate such an in-situ sensing-porosity relationship, but it is computationally costly. …

Additive Manufacturing Of Complexly Shaped Sic With High Density Via Extrusion-Based Technique – Effects Of Slurry Thixotropic Behavior And 3d Printing Parameters, Ruoyu Chen, Adam Bratten, Joshua Rittenhouse, Tian Huang, Wenbao Jia, Ming-Chuan Leu, Haiming Wen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive manufacturing of dense SiC parts was achieved via an extrusion-based process followed by electrical-field assisted pressure-less sintering. The aim of this research was to study the effect of the rheological behavior of SiC slurry on the printing process and quality, as well as the influence of 3D printing parameters on the dimensions of the extruded filament, which are directly related to the printing precision and quality. Different solid contents and dispersant- Darvan 821A concentrations were studied to optimize the viscosity, thixotropy and sedimentation rate of the slurry. The optimal slurry was composed of 77.5 wt% SiC, Y2O3 and Al2O3 …

Additive Manufacturing Of Molybdenum For High Temperature Structural Applications, Megan L. Bustin

Theses and Dissertations

This research considered additive manufactured (AM) molybdenum (Mo) and the effect of three variables on microstructure, mechanical properties, and the relationship between the two. Test temperature, laser speed, and shield gas or build atmosphere were varied, and samples tested and analyzed using a three-point bending test, chemical composition, and optical and scanning electron microscopy. The relationship among variables and results using a Design of Experiments was limited compared to the inclusion of every tested sample. Most effects were expected: samples tested at room temperature were brittle without statistical significance; increasing laser speed resulted in decreased ductility and strain, smaller grain …

Finite Fatigue Life Prediction Of Additively Manufactured Aircraft Engine Turbine Blade With Respect To Internal Defect Size And Location, Daniel G. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Current fatigue life modeling techniques with respect to defects emphasize the dependence on the defect size with respect to fatigue life, but does not account for the effects of where a defect might be located. This research outlines a process to include defect location into the model analysis for a more precise prediction of the number of cycles to failure and where the finial failure could occur within a component. The focus is on a turbine blade structure using IN718 subjected to a pure vibratory load. The basic model predicts component life using a stress map from the frequency analysis …

Mechanical Properties And Tension-Tension Fatigue Behavior Of A Novel Additively Manufactured Polymer Matrix Composite At Room And Elevated Temperature, Grayson M. Harber

Theses and Dissertations

The tension-tension fatigue behavior of a novel additively manufactured AM carbon fiber reinforced polymer matrix composite was studied. This novel material system consists of T1100 carbon fibers, and a UV photocured resin developed by Continuous Composites and Sartomer. Tensile properties and tension-tension fatigue were investigated for the 090 fiber orientation as well as for the ±45 fiber orientation. Specimens with 0/90 fiber orientation were tested at ambient laboratory temperature 23 °C and at elevated temperature 150 °C, while the specimens with the ±45 fiber orientation were tested only at ambient laboratory temperature. Tension-tension fatigue testing was carried out with a …

Characterization Of Fatigue Strength Of Additively Manufactured Ti-6al-4v With Recoater Blade Interference Flaws And Residual Stresses Towards An Enhanced Fatigue Substantiation Methodology For Aerospace Structures Applications, Joshua Manyara Mochache

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research characterized the fatigue strength of additively manufactured (AM) Ti-6Al-4V, through fatigue and static tests conducted using specimens with and without recoater blade interference flaws (RBIF), and thus further enhanced the fatigue substantiation methodology for AM parts by using combined fatigue strength knock-down-factors (KDF) developed from this study. Qualification and certification (Q&C) of metallic AM parts, through acceptable methods for fatigue and damage tolerance (F&DT) substantiation, is an area where significant gaps still exist. While progress has been made in design as well as materials and process standardization, Q&C of additively manufactured metallic structural parts, especially those in civil …

Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material extrusion additive manufacturing has been widely adopted because it offers freedom of design, which allows complex geometry fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Interest in producing components with integrated functionality allowed forms of hybrid manufacturing to be developed such as the Multi3D system. This system produces parts with embedded components by combining additive, subtractive, soldering, dispensing, and embedding techniques. However, this involves pausing the printing process (which takes place in a controlled environment) and exposing it to ambient temperature where embedding takes places. In this research, the effect of embedding parts with 24 AWG copper for improved functionality was quantified mechanically. …

Fabrication And Testing Of Catalyst-Infused Filament For 3d Printing Of Ignition-Augmented Hybrid Rocket Fuels, Kurt C. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis describes and addresses the need for reliable ignition in small satellite hybrid propulsion systems using higher density oxidizers. It describes methods of creating custom 3D printing ABS plastic based filaments that contain small amounts of catalysts. These catalysts lead to a more reliable and energy-efficient ignition of a hybrid rocked propulsion system using catalyst-infused ABS and nitrous oxide and oxygen blend called Nytrox, commonly known as ”laughing gas.” The ”laughing gas” has a higher density and can therefore provide more ”miles per gallon” in a hybrid propulsion system on a small satellite when compared to gaseous oxygen (GOX). …

Experimental Characterization Of Additively Manufactured Multi-Feather Wingtip Devices, Patricio Garzon

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Soaring birds have evolved to fly for long periods of time without flapping their wings. Inspired by the flight of these birds, the proposed thesis presents an experimental investigation focused on wingtip devices designed based on biomimicry. The overarching engineering objective was to reduce the induced drag as a means to improve the fuel efficiency via these experimental wingtips. An associated secondary objective was to establish a method for manufacturing complex structures suitable for wing tunnel testing. A manufacturing technique that involved using composite weaves to reinforce additively manufactured structures was developed. This technique has the potential to reduce manufacturing …

In-Situ Infrared Thermographic Inspection For Local Powder Layer Thickness Measurement In Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Tao Liu, Cody S. Lough, Hossein Sehhat, Yi Ming Ren, Panagiotis D. Christofides, Edward C. Kinzel, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is strongly influenced by the characteristics of the powder layer, including its thickness and thermal transport properties. This paper investigates in-situ characterization of the powder layer using thermographic inspection. A thermal camera monitors the temperature history of the powder surface immediately after a layer of new powder is deposited by the recoating system. During this process, thermal energy diffuses from the underlying solid part, eventually raising the temperature of the above powder layer. Guided by 1D modeling of this heat-up process, experiments show how the parameterized thermal history can be correlated with powder …

Tini-Based Bi-Metallic Shape-Memory Alloy By Laser-Directed Energy Deposition, Yitao Chen, Cesar Ortiz Rios, Braden Mclain, Joseph William Newkirk, Frank W. Liou

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, laser-directed energy deposition was applied to build a Ti-rich ternary Ti–Ni–Cu shape-memory alloy onto a TiNi shape-memory alloy substrate to realize the joining of the multifunctional bi-metallic shape-memory alloy structure. The cost-effective Ti, Ni, and Cu elemental powder blend was used for raw materials. Various material characterization approaches were applied to reveal different material properties in two sections. The as-fabricated Ti–Ni–Cu alloy microstructure has the TiNi phase as the matrix with Ti2Ni secondary precipitates. The hardness shows no high values indicating that the major phase is not hard intermetallic. A bonding strength of 569.1 MPa was obtained …

Performance Study Of Post-Processed Additively Manufactured Low Thrust Nozzles, Tyler W. Gerhold

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores metal post-processing techniques to effectively reduce the large anomalous protrusions found in small additively manufactured low thrust rocket nozzles. Research has found that nozzles of this kind can experience losses in thrust of over 40%. Analytic theory of adiabatic nozzle flow with viscous losses for additively manufactured nozzles does not align with what has been found when tested experimentally. Compressible flow losses, such as shock wave formation inside the nozzle diverging cone, are likely the leading causes of such loss. Reduction in nozzle irregularities can likely yield results seen in analytic theory with similar performance to traditional …

Design And Testing Of A Composite Compressor Rotor, Mauro Noel V. De Leon

Theses and Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) and molding are manufacturing methods known for building representations or replicas of conceptualized engine components, but was considered impractical for manufacturing operating engine components. More recent technology has rendered composite materials (combining high-temperature polymers and fiber reinforcement) capable of withstanding the temperature and structural requirements to compete with conventional turbomachinery metals. This study explores the application of several high-temperature polymers (ULTEM 9085, Onyx-Carbon fiber, and Epoxy-Carbon fiber) and their survivability in the operating conditions of a P400 Engine compressor. The tests conducted for this study determined their viability as compressor materials. This study required conducting tensile specimen …

Investigation Of Additively Manufactured Molybdenum-Tungsten-Rhenium Alloys, Randolph T. Abaya

Theses and Dissertations

The process of creating metal components through additive manufacturing is changing the way different industries can avoid the shortcomings of traditional metal production. Metals such as tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium have many advantages for different applications, especially when alloyed together. In this study, an additively manufactured alloy containing 70% molybdenum, 25% tungsten, and 5% rhenium (70Mo-25W-5Re) is tested for its strength, ductility, hardness, and porosity. The 70Mo-25W-5Re alloy is printed through Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) under different conditions such as printing speed and printing atmosphere. Additionally, the effects of post printing heat treatment are conducted to understand the advantages …

Effects Of A Nitrogen And Hydrogen Build Atmosphere On The Properties Of Additively Manufactured Tungsten, Dana C. Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Additively manufactured tungsten was printed in pure nitrogen, nitrogen-2.5% hydrogen, and nitrogen-5% hydrogen atmospheres as part of a 2^3 full factorial designed experiment and subjected to room temperature and high-temperature three-point-bend testing, chemical analysis, hardness testing, and microstructural imaging techniques. The pure nitrogen specimens exhibited the highest strength and ductility at both high temperature and room temperature. Chemical analysis showed a 2-8x reduction in compositional oxygen relative to unprocessed powder. Hardness values for all samples was between 306.8 and 361.5 HV1. It is proposed that adding hydrogen into the build atmosphere reduced the available energy density for tungsten melting by …

Effects Of Particle Size Distribution With Efficient Packing On Powder Flowability And Selective Laser Melting Process, Zachary Young, Minglei Qu, Meelap Michael Coday, Qilin Guo, Seyed Mohammad H. Hojjatzadeh, Luis I. Escano, Kamel Fezzaa, Lianyi Chen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The powder bed-based additive manufacturing (AM) process contains uncertainties in the powder spreading process and powder bed quality, leading to problems in repeatability and quality of the additively manufactured parts. This work focuses on identifying the uncertainty induced by particle size distribution (PSD) on powder flowability and the laser melting process, using Ti6Al4V as a model material. The flowability test results show that the effect of PSDs on flowability is not linear, rather the PSDs near dense packing ratios cause significant reductions in flowability (indicated by the increase in the avalanche angle and break energy of the powders measured by …

Data On The Validation To Determine The Material Thermal Properties Estimation Via A One-Dimensional Transient Convection Model, Lauren B. Tomanek, Daniel S. Stutts

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

These data were acquired to estimate the parameters of a closed form solution of a one-dimensional transient convection heat diffusion PDE. The purpose was to demonstrate that the model could be used to determine the thermal conductivity. The system was tested for a wide range of thermal conductivity, 15-400 W/mK, in order to verify that the method was applicable for various materials. The data reported here refer to the study in the research articles, "Material Thermal Properties Estimation Via a One-Dimensional Transient Convection Model" [1] and "Influence of porosity on the thermal, electrical, and mechanical performance of selective laser melted …

3d Printing Technology In Aerospace Industry – A Review, Mohammad Suhel Karkun, Sathish Dharmalingam

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

In the modern era, several new technologies are being developed for the most convenient and easy usage of materials. Due to its effortless and quick usage properties, 3D printing technology has a vast application range nowadays in different fields. The application of 3D printing technology in the aerospace industry has been developed in the past few decades, but now it has been enhanced to a new level. 3D printing technology now has several applications in the aeronautical and space sectors. Soon, 3D printing technology will be used for building habitations on other planets and for the printing of spacecraft and …

Additive Manufacturing Of Continuous Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Sic Ceramic Composite With Multiple Fiber Bundles By An Extrusion-Based Technique, Ruoyu Chen, Adam Bratten, Joshua Rittenhouse, Ming-Chuan Leu, Haiming Wen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the high cost, complex preparation process and difficulty in structural design, the traditional methods for carbon fiber reinforced SiC ceramic composite preparation have great limitations. This paper presents a technique for the additive manufacturing multiple continuous carbon fiber bundle-reinforced SiC ceramic composite with core-shell structure using an extrusion-based technique. A conventional nozzle system was modified to print simultaneously a water based SiC paste with continuous carbon fibers. Different levels of binder contents were investigated to optimize the stickiness, viscosity, thixotropy and viscoelasticity of the paste. After sintering, SiC whiskers were generated on the surface of fiber, which is …

Plasma Spheroidization Of Gas-Atomized 304l Stainless Steel Powder For Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process, M. Hossein Sehhat, Austin T. Sutton, Chia-Hung Hung, Ben Brown, Ronald J. O'Malley, Jonghyun Park, Ming-Chuan Leu

PSMRC Faculty Research

Particles of AISI 304L stainless steel powder were spheroidized by the induction plasma spheroidization process (TekSphero-15 spheroidization system) to assess the effects of the spheroidization process on powder and part properties. The morphology of both as-received and spheroidized powders was characterized by measuring particle size and shape distribution. The chemistry of powders was studied using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy for evaluation of composing elements, and the powder’s microstructure was assessed by X-ray diffraction for phase identification and by electron backscattered diffraction patterns for crystallography characterization. The Revolution Powder Analyzer was used to quantify powder flowability. The mechanical properties …

Characterization And Enhancement Of Fatigue And Fracture Properties In Thermoplastic Fff Parts Using In-Situ Annealing, Manjarik Mrinal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) show high anisotropy and reduced mechanical properties as compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. This happens due to the poor interlaminar bonding between the layers, as a result of premature halt of bond healing process. Previous research works show multiple approaches to improve the bond quality to enhance the mechanical properties of FFF parts, however these are complex and expensive techniques. In this work a novel print head assembly is presented to offer a simple and effective solution by applying a thermal field to the part as it is being printed to preheat the previously deposited layer, …

Post-Processing And Characterization Of Additive Manufactured Carbon Fiber Reinforced Semi-Crystalline Polymers, Patricia Revolinsky

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this work is to study the effect of post-processing on additive manufactured (AM) continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) performance. As-printed AM CFRPs do not perform as well as conventionally manufactured CFRPs with the same composition. Possible improvements to AM CFRP performance include annealing and applying uniaxial pressure with elevated temperature. Samples were subjected to pressure and temperature treatments and annealing at a constant temperature. Treated materials were subjected to three-point bending tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize and assess sample performance. Results were assessed for flexural strength, …

Fatigue Damage Quantification And Life Estimation With Provision For Microstructure, Arash Pourbagheri Jirandehi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation provides methodologies for the quantification of different forms of fatigue damage by considering the role of microstructure. The laws of thermodynamics in conjunction with Finite Element Method (FEM) are utilized to devise thermodynamically-base frameworks for the estimation of cyclic damage in polycrystalline metals. Accordingly, a microstructure-sensitive platform for fatigue life estimation is introduced. The proposed framework is assessed for 3D printed metallic alloys at room and elevated temperatures. Further, it is used to analyze the fatigue performance difference between additively manufactured Inconel 718 in three print orientations. This research is of fundamental vital interest because it ensures that …

Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Lattices Under High Strain Rate Impact, Derek G. Spear

Theses and Dissertations

Several additively manufactured lattice designs and configurations were evaluated under compression loads under various strain rates from quasi-static to highly dynamic. These experiments examined how the mechanical behavior of the lattice changed based on the lattice design properties and the applied strain rates. The modulus of elasticity, yield strength, plateau stress, and toughness were observed to decrease with an increase in strain rate, revealing that the lattice designs exhibit a negative strain rate sensitivity. A new lattice flow stress model was developed to account for the mechanical response of the lattice and was incorporated into a computational model for simulation. …

Characterization And Enhancement Of Mechanical Properties In Thermoplastic Fff Parts Using In-Situ Annealing, Rhugdhrivya Rane

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Fused filament fabrication is one of the most common and widely used additive manufacturing techniques. Owing to its ease of use, availability and cheap feedstock it provides a significant advantage over other AM techniques. But these advantages are overshadowed by the fact that FFF parts show high anisotropy and reduced mechanical properties as compared to conventional manufacturing techniques. Literature review of previous research works show multiple approaches to enhance the mechanical properties of FFF parts but each of these techniques have limitations to either the geometries that can be printed or involve complex expensive setups. In one such technique a …

Design, Analysis And Experimental Evaluation Of 3d Printed Variable Stiffness Structures, Rossana R. Fernandes

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The rapid progress of additive manufacturing (AM) introduces new opportunities but also new challenges for design and optimization to ensure manufacturability, testability and accurate representation/prediction of the models. The present dissertation builds a bridge between design, optimization, AM, testing and simulation of advanced optimized variable-stiffness structures. The first part offers an insight on the mechanical, viscoelastic and failure characteristics of AM continuous fiber composites. This understanding was used in the second part to investigate the feasibility of different topology and fiber-orientation optimization methods and the manufacturability of the resulting models. The study also assesses the effects of the manufacturing constraints …

Additively Manufactured Dielectric Elastomer Actuators: Development And Performance Enhancement, Stanislav Sikulskyi

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The recently emerging and actively growing areas of soft robotics and morphing structures promise endless opportunities in a wide range of engineering fields, including biomedical, industrial, and aerospace. Soft actuators and sensors are essential components of any soft robot or morphing structure. Among the utilized materials, dielectric elastomers (DEs) are intrinsically compliant, high energy density polymers with fast and reversible electromechanical response. Additionally, the electrically driven work principle allows DEs to be distributed in a desired fashion and function locally with minimum interference. Thus, a great effort is being made towards utilizing additive manufacturing (AM) technologies to fully realize the …