The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Dayton, Ohio, and America Makes, Youngstown, Ohio, announce that QuesTek Innovations has won the Additive Manufacturing Modeling Challenge, \u201cMacro-scale Structure-to-Properties Predictions,\u201d to improve the understanding and modeling capability of the complex linkage of process-structure-performance of AM-built components.<\/p>\n
The goal of the AFRL Challenge Series is to improve the accuracy of model predictions for metal additive manufacturing with Inconel 625 nickel-chromium alloy (IN625) as an example. Challenge participants were provided with high-pedigree calibration and validation datasets needed to develop new models directly related to predicting the internal structure and resultant performance of AM metallic components.<\/p>\n
After reviewing the highly-competitive entries, the Challenge reviewers ranked QuesTek\u2019s submission as Top Performer for the most accurate prediction of key material properties such as strength, elongation, and modulus of elasticity. The inputs provided to QuesTek were limited to printed component geometry and dimensions, alloy compositions, as-printed and heat-treated microstructures, surface roughness, and porosity.<\/p>\n
QuesTek\u2019s strong technical team leveraged its Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) technologies, long history of modeling nickel-base superalloys, and in-house proprietary yield and ultimate strength model that incorporates grain size, solid solution strengthening and precipitation strengthening contributions, as well as a strain-hardening model that predicts a material\u2019s strain-stress relationships.<\/p>\n
QuesTek commends the AFRL and America Makes for their vision and recognition of the benefits of a computational modeling approach to enable a better understanding of metal AM challenges. For QuesTek, the AFRL Challenge request was timely, as the company had already been working to develop the modeling framework to enable such a predictive capability.<\/p>\n
According to Dr. Jiadong Gong, QuesTek\u2019s Technical Fellow and Manager of Modeling and Software Development, \u201cQuesTek has successfully demonstrated the ability to predict microstructures and properties across a range of alloy systems in metal AM, including nickel, aluminum, titanium, and steel. We are aware of a significant market need for such a capability, and we are currently incorporating this into a comprehensive software package.\u201d <\/p>\n
He added, \u201cThis package will be able to predict AM materials property and component performance by inputting powder chemistry, machine build parameters, and subsequent thermal processing, and will enable rapid qualification of materials and components for critical applications.\u201d<\/p>\n
To date, QuesTek has been awarded more than 60 projects to understand the fundamental metallurgy and resolve the most pressing materials issues in metallic AM. In formulating its response to the AFRL Challenge, QuesTek drew on similar modeling efforts in DARPA\u2019s Open Manufacturing project with Honeywell on Ni 718Plus, a NASA STTR project on IN718, as well as QuesTek\u2019s role in the U.S. Navy\u2019s Quality Made program on IN625 nickel superalloys.<\/p>\n
www.questek.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Dayton, Ohio, and America Makes, Youngstown, Ohio, announce that QuesTek Innovations has won the Additive Manufacturing Modeling Challenge, \u201cMacro-scale Structure-to-Properties Predictions,\u201d to improve the understanding and modeling capability of the complex linkage of process-structure-performance of AM-built components.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":63103,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[440,441,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10446","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","category-news-articles","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n