Manufacturing Commons^™

Application Of Schlieren Technique In Additive Manufacturing: A Review, R. Bharadwaja, Aravind Murugan, Yitao Chen, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive manufacturing has gained a lot of attention in the past few decades due to its significant advantages in terms of design freedom, lower lead time, and ability to produce complex shapes. One of the pivotal factors affecting the process stability and hence the part quality is the shielding gas flow in additive manufacturing. As extremely beneficial for the process, the shielding gas flow is often set at maximum supply to achieve enough gas cover over the substrate. This causes excessive quantity of shielding gas to be unutilized. Realizing the importance of shielding gas, various studies have been carried out …

Applications Of Supervised Machine Learning Algorithms In Additive Manufacturing: A Review, M. S. Joshi, Aaron Flood, Todd E. Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Additive Manufacturing (AM) simplifies the fabrication of complex geometries. Its scope has rapidly expanded from the fabrication of pre-production visualization models to the manufacturing of end use parts driving the need for better part quality assurance in the additively manufactured parts. Machine learning (ML) is one of the promising techniques that can be used to achieve this goal. Current research in this field includes the use of supervised and unsupervised ML algorithms for quality control and prediction of mechanical properties of AM parts. This paper explores the applications of supervised learning algorithms - Support Vector Machines and Random Forests. Support …

Part Remanufacturing Using Hybrid Manufacturing Processes, Xinchang Zhang, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many users of high-performance metal parts, such as the aerospace industry, the mold/die casting industry, and heavy machinery consumers, extend the service of these damaged parts by employing remanufacturing technology. Additive manufacturing has unique capabilities, such as low heat input, a small heat-affected zone, free-form fabrication, and a near-net-shape. This paper summarizes the effort and the tested results to achieve an automated remanufacturing process using hybrid additive manufacturing and CNC machining processes. It will enable the robust remanufacturing-on-demand to significantly increase operational availability to reduce sustainment costs, thus will lead to robust and quality remanufacturing that is critical for remanufacturing …

Frequency Domain Measurements Of Melt Pool Recoil Pressure Using Modal Analysis And Prospects For In-Situ Non-Destructive Testing, Tristan Cullom, Nicholas Altese, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers, Ben Brown, Troy Hartwig, David Soine, Aimee Allen, Andrew Barnard, Jason Blough, Kevin Johnson, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fielding Additively Manufactured (AM) parts requires evaluating both the part’s geometry and material state. This includes geometry that may be optically hidden. Both the geometry and material state affect the vibration response of the parts and modal analysis (identifying natural frequencies) has been shown to be effective for at least simple geometries using ex-situ methods (shaker table and impact hammer excitations). This paper investigates evaluation of the frequency response of metal parts inside the build chamber using the process laser to excite the parts during printing (Renishaw AM250). Vibrations in the part are measured with accelerometers connected to the build …

The Effect Of Cell Size And Surface Roughness On The Compressive Properties Of Abs Lattice Structures Fabricated By Fused Deposition Modeling, Leah Mason, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Researchers looking to improve the surface roughness of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) parts fabricated by fused deposition modeling (FDM) have determined that acetone smoothing not only achieves improved surface roughness but increases compressive strength as well. However, the sensitivity of ABS parts to acetone smoothing has not been explored. In this study we investigated FDM-fabricated ABS lattice structures of various cell sizes subjected to cold acetone vapor smoothing to determine the combined effect of cell size and acetone smoothing on the compressive properties of the lattice structures. The acetone-smoothed specimens performed better than the as-built specimens in both compression modulus …

Joining Of Copper And Stainless Steel 304l Using Direct Metal Deposition, Xinchang Zhang, Yitao Chen, Tan Pan, Wenyuan Cui, Lan Li, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the current study, the feasibility of joining pure copper (Cu) and stainless steel 304L (SS304L) through direct metal deposition process was investigated by material characterization. Samples were analyzed in terms of microstructure, elemental distribution, and tensile testing. Direct depositing pure copper on SS304L shows copper was mechanically rather than metallurgical bonded with SS304L due to the poor dissolubility of iron in copper. Iron was diffused into copper with a diluted distance of 1.5 mm and above that, pure copper deposits were obtained. Columnar structure was observed at the copper region near the interface while the columnar grains became finer …

In-Situ Local Part Qualification Of Slm 304l Stainless Steel Through Voxel Based Processing Of Swir Imaging Data, Cody S. Lough, Xin Wang, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow, James A. Drallmeier, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper demonstrates the potential for qualification through local part property prediction of 304L stainless steel parts manufactured by Selective Laser Melting (SLM). This is accomplished through voxel based processing of SWIR imaging data measured in-situ. Thermal features are extracted from time-series SWIR imaging data recorded from layer-to-layer to generate 3D point cloud reconstructions of parts. The voxel based data is indexed with localized measurements of SLM part properties (light-to-dark microstructural feature ratio, microhardness, μCT data) to demonstrate the correlations. Various features are extracted from the thermal history for comparison of their respective abilities to predict the resulting local part …

Bulk-Explosion-Induced Metal Spattering During Laser Processing, Cang Zhao, Qilin Guo, Xuxiao Li, Niranjan Parab, Kamel Fezzaa, Wenda Tan, Lianyi Chen, Tao Sun

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spattering has been a problem in metal processing involving high-power lasers, like laser welding, machining, and recently, additive manufacturing. Limited by the capabilities of in situ diagnostic techniques, typically imaging with visible light or laboratory x-ray sources, a comprehensive understanding of the laser-spattering phenomenon, particularly the extremely fast spatters, has not been achieved yet. Here, using MHz single-pulse synchrotron-x-ray imaging, we probe the spattering behavior of Ti-6Al-4V with micrometer spatial resolution and subnanosecond temporal resolution. Combining direct experimental observations, quantitative image analysis, as well as numerical simulations, our study unravels a novel mechanism of laser spattering: The bulk explosion of …

Method And Apparatus For Fabricating Ceramic And Metal Components Via Additive Manufacturing With Uniform Layered Radiation Drying, Ming-Chuan Leu, Amir Ghazanfari, Wenbin Li, Greg Hilmas, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A freeform extrusion fabrication process for producing three - dimensional ceramic, metal and functionally gradient composite objects, including the steps of filling a plurality of paste sources with a respective plurality of aqueous paste compositions, operationally connecting respective syringes containing respective aqueous paste compositions to a mix ing chamber, moving a first aqueous paste composition from a first respective paste source into the mixing chamber, moving a second aqueous paste composition from a second respective paste source into the mixing chamber, mixing the first and second aqueous paste compositions to define a first admixture having a first admixture composition, extruding …

Recyclability Of 304l Stainless Steel In The Selective Laser Melting Process, Austin T. Sutton, Caitlin S. Kriewall, Ming-Chuan Leu, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During part fabrication by selective laser melting (SLM), a powder-bed fusion process in Additive Manufacturing (AM), a large amount of energy is input from the laser into the melt pool, causing generation of spatter and condensate, both of which have the potential to settle in the surrounding powder-bed compromising its reusability. In this study, 304L stainless steel powder is subjected to five reuses in the SLM process to assess its recyclability through characterization of both powder and mechanical properties. Powder was characterized morphologically by particle size distribution measurements, oxygen content with inert gas fusion analysis, and phase identification by X-ray …

Incorporation Of Automated Ball Indentation Methodology For Studying Powder Bed Fabricated 304l Stainless Steel, Sreekar Karnati, Jack L. Hoerchler, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Automated Ball Indentation (ABI) is a viable method for estimating the ductility, yield stress, and ultimate stress, among other metrics, in different metallic materials. Currently, ABI data analysis utilizes Holloman’s Power Law to model the plastic region of the true stress-true strain curve. While this formulation is accurate for some materials, its relevance for additively manufactured austenitic stainless steels, such as 304L, needed investigation. The deviation of the material’s plastic behavior from the Power Law was investigated. In order to better model this behavior, both the Voce and Ludwigson formulation were investigated. These formulations were tested for both wrought and …

Effects Of Thermal Camera Resolution On Feature Extraction In Selective Laser Melting, Xin Wang, Cody S. Lough, Douglas A. Bristow, Edward C. Kinzel, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a common additive manufacturing process which uses a laser energy source to fuse metal powder layer by layer. Engineering properties and microstructure are related to the part’s thermal history. It is important to measure the thermal history in-situ to qualify parts and provide the sensing which is necessary for process control. A common measurement tool for this purpose is a thermal camera that records the thermal emission of the part’s surface.

This study investigates the effects of spatial sampling resolution of thermal cameras when monitoring the temperature in SLM processes. High-fidelity simulation of an SLM …

Development Of Pre-Repair Machining Strategies For Laser-Aided Metallic Component Remanufacturing, Xinchang Zhang, Wenyuan Cui, Leon Hill, Wei Li, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Remanufacturing worn metallic components can prolong the service life of parts that need frequent replacement but are extremely costly to manufacture, such as aircraft titanium components, casting dies. Additive manufacturing (AM) technology enables the repair of such valuable components by depositing filler materials at the worn area layer by layer to regenerate the missing geometry. In general, damaged parts would be inspected and pre-machined prior to material deposition to remove oil, residue, oxidized layers or defects located in inaccessible regions. Therefore, the motivation of this paper is to introduce pre-repair machining strategies for removing contaminated materials from damaged components and …

Frequency Response Inspection Of Additively Manufactured Parts For Defect Identification, Kevin Johnson, Jason Blough, Andrew Barnard, Troy Hartwig, Ben Brown, David Soine, Tristan Collum, Edward C. Kinzel, Douglas A. Bristow, Robert G. Landers

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The goal of this paper is to evaluate internal defects in AM parts using dynamic measurements. The natural frequencies of AM parts can be identified by measuring the response of the part(s) to a dynamic input. Different excitation methods such as a modal impact hammer or shakers can be used to excite the parts. Various methods exist to measure the parts' responses and find the natural frequencies. This paper will investigate the use of Doppler lasers, accelerometers and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The parts evaluated in this work include sets of parts that are still attached to the AM build …

In-Situ Optical Emission Spectroscopy During Slm Of 304l Stainless Steel, Cody S. Lough, Luis I. Escano, Minglei Qu, Christopher C. Smith, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow, Lianyi Chen, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper demonstrates the potential of in-situ Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) to monitor the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. A spectrometer is split into the beam path of a home-built SLM system to collect visible light emitted from the melt pool and plume. The inline configuration allows signal collection regardless of the laser scan location. The spectral data can be used to calculate the temperature of the vapor plume and correlated with the melt-pool size. The effects of varying the atmosphere and pressure on the OES signal are also explored. These results demonstrate that OES can provide useful feedback to …

General Rules For Pre-Process Planning In Powder Bed Fusion System -- A Review, Tan Pan, Sreekar Karnati, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is one of the current additive manufacturing techniques that can fabricate almost fully dense functional metal components. Through a layer by layer fabrication methodology, complex geometries to meet the requirements of aerospace, automotive, biomedicine industries, etc. can be produced. The success of a build largely depends on having a flawless pre-process planning, including build orientation selection, support structure optimization, process parameter chosen, etc., which closely relates to the quality of the final products. Geometric inaccuracy and poor surface quality can occur due to a bad build plan. This review presents the crucial general planning rules for …

Additive Manufacturing Of Metal Bandpass Filters For Future Radar Receivers, Bradley Grothaus, Dane Huck, Austin T. Sutton, Ming-Chuan Leu, Ben Brown

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective laser melting (SLM) is a powder-bed fusion (PBF) process that bonds successive layers of powder with a laser to create components directly from computer-aided design (CAD) files. The additive nature of the SLM process in addition to the use of fine powders facilitates the construction of complex geometries, which has captured the attention of those involved in the design of bandpass filters for radar applications. However, a significant drawback of SLM is its difficulty in fabricating parts with overhangs necessitating the use of support structures, which, if not removed, can greatly impact the performance of bandpass filters. Therefore, in …

Mechanical Properties Of Zr-Based Bulk Metallic Glass Parts Fabricated By Laser-Foil-Printing Additive Manufacturing, Yingqi Li, Ming-Chuan Leu, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The application of bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) has been traditionally limited to parts with small dimensions and simple geometries, due to the requirement of fast cooling during the conventional process of casting. This research exemplifies a promising additive manufacturing method, i.e., laser-foil-printing (LFP), to fabricate high-quality BMG parts with large dimensions and complex geometries. In this study, Zr_52.5Ti₅Al₁₀Ni_14.6Cu_17.9 BMG parts were fabricated by LFP technology in which MG foils are laser welded layer-by- layer upon a substrate. The mechanical properties of the fabricated BMG parts were measured using micro-indentation, tensile test …

Additive Manufacturing Of Metal Functionally Graded Materials: A Review, Yitao Chen, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) have attracted a lot of research interest due to their gradual variation in material properties that result from the non-homogeneous composition or structure. Metal FGMs have been widely researched in recent years, and additive manufacturing has become one of the most important approaches to fabricate metal FGMs. The aim of this paper is to review the research progress in metal FGMs by additive manufacturing. It will first introduce the unique properties and the advantages of FGMs. Then, typical recent findings in research and development of two major types of metal additive manufacturing methods, namely laser metal …

Effect Of Environmental Variables On Ti-64 Am Simulation Results, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In metal AM the environment is critical and therefore care should be taken to ensure that the simulation matches reality. This paper will investigate the effect that various environmental factors have on the results of the simulation. This will help to determine their importance in the simulation setup. The material properties which relate to this are the convective coefficient and the emissivity. These material properties will be investigated to determine their effect on the outcome of the simulation. In addition to these properties, the size of the substrate will be investigated to determine if any results are altered. Lastly, the …

Use Of Swir Imaging To Monitor Layer-To-Layer Part Quality During Slm Of 304l Stainless Steel, Cody S. Lough, Xin Wang, Christopher C. Smith, Olaseni Adeniji, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper evaluates using in-situ SWIR imaging to monitor part quality and identify potential defect locations introduced during Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of 304L stainless steel. The microstructure (porosity, grain size, and phase field) and engineering properties (density, modulus, and yield strength) depend on the thermal history during SLM manufacturing. Tensile test specimens have been built with a Renishaw AM250 using varied processing conditions to generate different thermal histories. SWIR imaging data is processed layer-to-layer to extract features in the thermal history for each process condition. The features in the thermal history are correlated with resulting part engineering properties, microstructure, …

Experimental Characterization Of A Direct Metal Deposited Cobalt-Based Alloy On Tool Steel For Component Repair, Xinchang Zhang, Tan Pan, Wei Li, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Die casting dies made of tool steel is subject to impact, abrasion and cyclic thermomechanical loading that delivers damage such as wear, corrosion, and cracking. To repair such defects, materials enveloping the damage need to be machined and refilled. In this study, V-shape defects with varied sidewall inclination angles were prepared on H13 tool steel substrates and refilled with cobalt-based alloy using direct metal deposition (DMD) for superior hardness and wear resistance. The microstructure of rebuild samples was characterized using an optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Elemental distribution from the substrate to deposits was analyzed using energy …

Effects Of Identical Parts On A Common Build Plate On The Modal Analysis Of Slm Created Metal, Tristan Cullom, Troy Hartwig, Ben Brown, Kevin Johnson, Jason Blough, Andrew Barnard, Robert G. Landers, Douglas A. Bristow, Edward C. Kinzel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The frequency response of parts created with Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a function of not only process parameters, powder quality, but also the geometry of the part. Modal analysis has the potential to evaluate parts by measuring the frequency response which are a function of the material response as well as the geometry. A Frequency Response Function (FRF) serves as a fingerprint of the part which can be validated against the FRF of a destructively tested part. A practical scenario encountered in Selective Laser Melting (SLM) involves multiple parts on a common build plate. Coupling between parts influences the FRF …

Characterization Of Impact Toughness Of 304l Stainless Steel Fabricated Through Laser Powder Bed Fusion Process, Sreekar Karnati, Atoosa Khiabhani, Aaron Flood, Frank W. Liou, Joseph William Newkirk

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this research, the impact toughness of powder bed based additively manufactured 304L stainless steel was investigated. Charpy specimens were built in vertical, horizontal and inclined (45⁰) orientations to investigate the variation in toughness with build direction. These specimens were tested in as-built and machined conditions. A significant difference in toughness was observed with varying build directions. The lowest toughness values were recorded when the notch was oriented in line with the interlayer boundary. The highest toughness was recorded when the notch was perpendicular to the interlayer boundary. A significant scatter in toughness values was also observed. The variation and …

Design Of Lattice Structures With Graded Density Fabricated By Additive Manufacturing, Wenjin Tao, Yong Liu, Austin T. Sutton, Krishna C. R. Kolan, Ming-Chuan Leu

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lattice structures fabricated by Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes are promising for many applications, such as lightweight structures and energy absorbers. However, predicting and controlling of their mechanical behaviors is challenging due to the complexity of modeling and the uncertainties exist in the manufacturing process. In this paper, we explore the possibilities enabled by controlling the local densities. A set of lattice structures with different density gradients are designed using an implicit isosurface equation, and they are manufactured by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process with 304L stainless steel. Finite element analysis and compression test are used to evaluate their mechanical properties. …

Modeling Of Cloud-Based Digital Twins For Smart Manufacturing With Mt Connect, Liwen Hu, Ngoc-Tu Nguyen, Wenjin Tao, Ming-Chuan Leu, Xiaoqing Frank Liu, Rakib Shahriar, S M Nahian Al Sunny

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The common modeling of digital twins uses an information model to describe the physical machines. The integration of digital twins into productive cyber-physical cloud manufacturing (CPCM) systems imposes strong demands such as reducing overhead and saving resources. In this paper, we develop and investigate a new method for building cloud-based digital twins (CBDT), which can be adapted to the CPCM platform. Our method helps reduce computing resources in the information processing center for efficient interactions between human users and physical machines. We introduce a knowledge resource center (KRC) built on a cloud server for information intensive applications. An information model …

Foil-Based Additive Manufacturing System And Method, Hai-Lung Tsai, Yiyu Shen, Yingqi Li, Chen Chen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An additive manufacturing system, method of manufacturing, and fabricated part. The system uses a material joining laser system to join together foil sheets to form a metal part. The material joining laser system can be configured to join adjacent foil sheets together in a substantially uniform manner. The manufacturing system also includes a material removal system that removes material from selected locations of the foil sheets to shape the foil sheets to correspond with selective slices of the part. The material removal system can be a laser system, such as a laser system configured to remove material from a foil …

Fabricating Zirconia Components With Organic Support Material By The Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion Process, Wenbin Li, Amir Ghazanfari, Devin Mcmillen, Andrew Scherff, Ming-Chuan Leu, Greg Hilmas

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ceramic On-Demand Extrusion (CODE) is an extrusion-based additive manufacturing process recently developed for fabricating dense, functional ceramic components. This paper presents a further development of this process and focuses on fabricating 3 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia (3YSZ) components that cannot be fabricated without using support structures. The 3YSZ paste is deposited through the main nozzle, and a polycaprolactone (PCL) pellet feedstock is melted and deposited through an auxiliary nozzle to build support structures. After a green part is printed and dried, the support structures are removed by heating the part to ~70°C to melt the PCL. The part is then sintered …

Additive Manufacturing Of High Entropy Alloys -- A Review, Wenyuan Cui, Xinchang Zhang, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-entropy alloys have attracted increasingly interest due to their unique compositions, microstructures and mechanical properties. Additive manufacturing has been recognized as a promising technology to fabricate the high-entropy alloys in the recent years. The purpose of this paper is to review the current research progress in high-entropy alloys by additive manufacturing process. It will first highlight the important theory of the high-entropy alloys. The next aspect is to summarize current additive manufacturing methods applied for the high entropy alloys. At last, the correlation between the microstructures and the mechanical properties of the high-entropy alloys will be examined and discussed.

Bonding Of 304l Stainless Steel To Cast Iron By Selective Laser Melting, Baily Thomas, Austin T. Sutton, Ming-Chuan Leu, Nikhil Doiphode

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While cast iron is widely used in industry, a major limitation is the weldability of a dissimilar material onto cast iron due to hot cracking as a result of lack of ductility from graphite flakes. Consequently, a significant amount of preheat is often employed to reduce the cooling rate in the fusion zone, which, however, may lead to distortion of the welded parts. A potential remedy could be the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process, where only small melt pools are created and thus the overall energy input is reduced. The present paper describes an investigation of the SLM process to …