Advancing Wire-Arc Direct Energy Deposition for Large-Format Metal Additive Manufacturing
Sinan Müftü, COE Distinguished Professor, MIE, and Ozan Özdemir, assistant professor, MIE, are leading a team that was awarded a $4.38 million grant from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to advance wire-arc direct energy deposition (WA-DED) for large-format metal additive manufacturing.
The Cold Spray Research Group team will include Ozlem Ergün, COE Distinguished Professor and associate chair for graduate affairs, mechanical and industrial engineering; Mohammad Taslim, professor of mechanical engineering; and Ahmad Nourian Avval, assistant research professor, mechanical and industrial engineering. The team will also include investigators from the Kostas Research Institute; University of California-Irvine, University of Connecticut; Missouri University of Science and Technology; Norwich University; Swinburn University in Australia; and the Raytheon Technologies Research Center.
Metal additive manufacturing technologies promise novel versatile approaches to overcome the shortcomings of traditional manufacturing methods. In this work, the NU team will focus on WA-DED to create materials and processes with environmentally acceptable approaches for manufacturing.
This will include fundamental research in physics-based modeling, material science, supply chain modeling, and robot-path planning for WA-DED. Multi-physics, solid-state models will be developed to predict the microstructure, residual stresses, and deformations in WA-DED builds. These models will be coupled with the computational fluid dynamics models of heat transfer and melting in the WA-DED and plasma arc (PA) DED processes. The models will be calibrated and verified by using comprehensive experiments. Experimental work will also include developing process-structure-property relationships for lightweight and chrome-free materials. A toolbox for robot-path planning and optimization will be built. An assessment of the WA-DED supply chain for existing and new materials will be developed.
WA-DED is a relatively new metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology that uses an electric arc and a wired feedstock to deposit material layer by layer to print parts for automotive, aerospace, and marine industries. This technology is known for its high deposition rates, low raw material costs, and high process efficiency, and for its ability to print large metal parts in a relatively short time. Nickel, titanium, aluminum alloys, and steel can be deposited by this technique. Developing new materials for new applications and process control are major challenges that will be addressed by the NU team.
ARL is the U.S. Army’s central laboratory for scientific and engineering research and development. It plays a pivotal role in supporting national security and technological advancement by providing innovative solutions and advancements in various research areas.