Affordable Titanium Structures Using Innovative Casting Technologies

This SBIR Phase I effort proposes to develop an innovative, more affordable titanium casting technology based on rammed graphite and hybrid molding technologies. Rammed graphite molding is a lower-cost casting process not traditionally used to manufactureaerospace titanium components, while hybrid molds are a combination of two or more non-traditional molding technologies. This processing approach consists of casting technique of using rammed graphite mold combined with other molding materials to achievenear net shape titanium structures at a lower cost than by conventional investment casting for certain classes of aerospace components. The new process is expected to yield sufficient microstructure, mechanical properties as compared with the currentinvestment casting method, with sufficient part geometrical complexity capability and surface finish when supplemented with added-value fabrication methods.