Materials Characterization of Additively Manufactured Components for Rocket PropulsionTo advance Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies for production of rocket propulsion components the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) is applying state of the art characterization techniques to interrogate microstructure and mechanical properties of AM materials and components at various steps in their processing. The materials being investigated for upper stage rocket engines include titanium, copper, and nickel alloys. Additive manufacturing processes include laser powder bed, electron beam powder bed, and electron beam wire fed processes. Various post build thermal treatments, including Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP), have been studied to understand their influence on microstructure, mechanical properties, and build density. Micro-computed tomography, electron microscopy, and mechanical testing in relevant temperature environments has been performed to develop relationships between build quality, microstructure, and mechanical performance at temperature. A summary of GRC's Additive Manufacturing roles and experimental findings will be presented.
Document ID
20150023059
Acquisition Source
Glenn Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Carter, Robert (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Draper, Susan (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Locci, Ivan (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Lerch, Bradley (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Ellis, David (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Senick, Paul (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Meyer, Michael (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Free, James (NASA Glenn Research Center Cleveland, OH United States)
Cooper, Ken (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)
Jones, Zachary (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Huntsville, AL, United States)