Principal investigator: Zachary Harris
University: University of Pittsburgh
Industry partner: Metal Powder Works, Inc.
Nickel-aluminum-bronze (NAB) is commonly utilized for valves, propellers, and other components on naval craft, but prolonged lead times for cast NAB components have become a critical bottleneck for naval construction. As such, there is substantial interest in utilizing additive manufacturing (AM) to accelerate NAB component production, but understanding of processing-structure-property (PSP) relationships for AM NAB in naval-relevant environments remains insufficient. This proposed effort will address this need by evaluating the influence of different powder feedstocks, including low-cost machined powder, on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of NAB fabricated via directed energy deposition (DED). Through this study, the proposed effort will identify the optimized build parameters for each powder feedstock that lead to DED NAB with comparable performance to cast NAB. Critically, this effort will include close collaboration with a Pennsylvania-based powder manufacturer (Metal Powder Works), which will uniquely position them to assist with addressing this national security need.