Samara University Developed the Technology Increasing the Reliability of Printed Parts for Aviation

The technology created at Samara University will make it possible to increase the reliability of parts for aviation and cosmonautics made by using metal powder printing. It allows fine-tuning of the parameters of “growing” metal structures of complex shapes. The results are presented in Metals.

Experts from Samara University emphasized that, despite significant progress in the field of layer-by-layer 3D printing, its use for products in the aerospace industry is limited. This is due to the variability of the process of fusing metal powders, from which satellite parts and components are made.

Aleksander Khaimovich, Chief Researcher at the Research Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence in Production Systems, explained that the reason for this lies both in the heterogeneity of particles in size and in their chemical composition, as well as in the 3D printing conditions associated with uneven heat flows in space and in time during “growing” the parts.

Because of this, micropores, non-melting and microcracks appear in the parts “grown”, which significantly affect applicability and service life of the products, according to the scientist.

Specialists from Samara University have developed the method of creating more “homogeneous” metal structures in composition and in properties, by using 3D printing. First, the product specifications are prioritized in accordance with the customer’s requirements, then, with a minimum number of experiments on small samples, the optimization process is started, for the purpose of achieving a result acceptable to the customer.

“This is the so-called robust approach, a method of designing and optimizing processes. It allows achieving stable results even in the presence of uncertainties, changes in conditions, or imperfections in the source data. The created technology has been successfully tested in relation to 3D printing of metal-powder products”, explained Khaimovich.

Consumer requirements for such products may vary, and they often contradict each other: some products require high shape accuracy and high-quality surfaces, while others require advanced mechanical properties. The scientist emphasized that shapes of the parts can be so complex and include closed internal cavities that their manufacturing by other methods is often difficult or impossible.

“Herewith, many technological factors affecting quality parameters have the opposite effect. For example, boosting the power of an energy source can reduce the number of pores and non-melts, but it can also result in the increase in cracks and shape distortions. Our method allows achieving the most successful compromise”, said Khaimovich.

Currently, Samara University is developing the software for the additive manufacturing technologist’s workplace, which includes the created technology, as well.

Source: ria.ru