Nondestructive Characterization of Microstructure and Grain Orientation on Large, Complex Parts

In this proposal, we describe spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy (SRAS), a relatively new and low TRL technology capable of conducting large-scale orientation microscopy. In its current form, it is capable of analyzing local crystal orientation on polished metallic surfaces, and is an a viable candidate to permit the nondestructive and non contact characterization of certain aspects of the material state for advanced metallic structures, and can potentially be inserted as an inspection tool into a manufacturing environment. As SRAS is materials processing agnostic, it can be used for both legacy manufacturing methods (i.e., casting, forging) and emerging manufacturing methods (i.e., additive manufacturing, metamorphic manufacturing). Further, the data that it generates is the type of data that would flow into rapid qualification strategies, digital twins, and fleet performance and maintenance strategies. While the technique has the potential to be a transformative way of quantifying material state in a manufacturing environment, there are some technical barriers that must (and will) be addressed. We will tackle the first barrier, i.e., collecting signal from curved surfaces, while designing system configurations that are at a higher TRL level in this proposed work.