Optimized Additive Manufacturing of Tungsten Alloys

CPS Technologies Corp. (CPS) and Texas A&M University (TAMU) will optimize binder jet additive manufacturing (BJAM) to produce high-density materials that replicate the adiabatic shear properties of depleted uranium. CPS has developed proprietary powder blends for injection molding (IM) highly dense (>60 vol%) refractory alloys and ceramic green bodies that are subsequently sintered to full density or infiltrated to form composites. CPS and TAMU have modified powder blends for use in BJAM, demonstrating highly dense printing of ceramics. Previous IM of tungsten (W) yielded green bodies with 60% W content, and final sintered densities of 17.8g/cm3 (93% of expected theoretical density). In the proposed work, CPS and TAMU will modify W powder compositions and size distributions for optimized compatibility with BJAM and subsequent sintering to yield dense, geometrically complex structures ideal for replicating DU shear properties. Prototype internal geometries to promote adiabatic shearing will be designed and printed. Resultant prototypes will be tested under high-rate impact testing.