Integrated Computational Material Engineering Technologies for Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a novel process of fabricating components in a layer-by-layer method under the control of computer-aided design (CAD) information rather than by the traditional casting methods. The transition of AM technology from production of prototypes to production of critical parts is hindered by a lack of confidence in the quality of the part. In the push to commercialize the AM technology, currently available systems are based largely on hand-tuned parameters determined by trial-and-error for a limited set of materials. QuesTek along with University of Pittsburgh as the partner will develop an integrated experimental and analytical (model-based) technologies for process optimization and qualification of additive manufacturing. In the Phase I of the program, modeling framework for yield strength of AM IN718 was developed and validated experimentally. Building on the success of Phase I and utilizing the already established framework, additional models for toughness, fatigue and cracking will be developed to perform an overall qualification of AM IN718. The developed Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework combines QuesTek’s Materials by Design and Accelerated Insertion of Materials (AIM) technologies to accelerate the adoption of AM.