Additive Manufacturing for High-Density Materials

OUSD (R&E) CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY AREA(S): Advanced Materials; Advanced Manufacturing

OBJECTIVE: Develop a technique and/or technology through material properties and internal geometry, that replicates the shear properties of Depleted Uranium (DU).

DESCRIPTION: This topic accepts Phase I proposals submissions for a cost up to $250,000 for a 6-month period of performance.

Depleted Uranium (DU) is a critical material with limited supply and controversy. Many coalition forces do not use DU in their munitions and with some large contractors no longer working with the material, it is important that alternatives are found. Utilize modern and emerging additive manufacturing technologies and techniques to create unique geometries with high-density materials that replicate at least 90% of DU’s shear properties by combining the material’s innate properties with internal, printed, geometric properties. In this topic, high-density materials are defined as any material with a density of 18g-cm3 or higher.

PHASE I: Detailed reports of the feasibility of the topic, including expected costs for Phase II testing and beyond for each award. It is important that this report also includes a plan for commercialization of this technology from each award.

PHASE II: Initial test batching of additive manufacturing parts with modified internal structures. The remainder of Phase II will consist of applications of the new technology in the aforementioned program. It is also important that the technology shows both reliability and producibility as scale within this phase.

PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS:

• Per research, the most efficacious additive manufacturing (AM) technique for non-uranium alloys (i.e., to replicate depleted uranium (DU) densities) is to leverage laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology.​
• LPBF works with non-uranium alloys like nickel-based superalloys, tungsten-based alloys, and refractory metal alloys [1, 2]   ​
• Of note: LPBF has some challenges that require precise AM techniques and may be difficult to deploy at the battlefield edge, especially for munition resupply. 
  • Potential dual use cases for IR refractory testing techniques include:​
  • Aerospace: production of lightweight aircraft parts that require high-density​
  • Healthcare: production of specific surgical tools, prosthetics, etc. ​
  • Energy and Power: production of lightweight components for wind turbines and renewable energy systems. ​
  • Industrial Machinery and Tooling: Manufacturing complex and high-density manufacturing-essential parts​

REFERENCES:

1. 1. 1. 1. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20160012051/downloads/20160012051.pdf
         2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221486042200402X
         3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0254058424004620
         4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352179121001174
         5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359646223005729

KEYWORDS: Depleted Uranium; Additive Manufacturing; Laser Powder Bed Fusion; Technology; High Density Materials