Manufacture of Light Weight Corrosion Resistant Ti-6Al-4V Deck Components for USVs Using Very Low Cost Raw Materials in a Rapid Manufacturing Process

The Navy has a need to reduce the weight of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) to improve their operational efficiency. Many of these vessels have an Al hull and supporting structures. While Al alloys have a low density, their strength is very low. The high strength to weight ratio of titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) would allow a significant reduction in thickness which would translate to a significant weight savings. However, the cost of Ti64 structures produced by conventional manufacturing is prohibitively high. In this program, MER will establish the value of manufacturing Ti64 deck components by the PTA additive manufacturing process, resulting in a weight savings of >600 lb. Rather than using commercial Ti64 welding wire at a cost of $60/lb as the feed stock for the PTA process, MER will utilize a very low cost powder derived from Ti sponge powder at a cost of