Additive manufacturing of advanced aluminum alloys for transportation industry

交通运输行业先进铝合金增材制造

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-04188
• 负责人: Fallah, Vahid
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: Queen's University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=759849
• 关键词: Additive; manufacturing; advanced; aluminum; alloys

The transportation industry is quickly developing higher-efficiency designs for electric vehicles, both for automotive and potentially aerospace applications; electrical flight will be the next big challenge. Weight reduction, which is an essential part of future design modifications in the use of light metals and advanced manufacturing technologies, plays a key role. Light-weight advanced aluminum alloys are in high demand in transportation industries, mainly due to their high specific strength (strength to density ratio), corrosion resistance, weldability and recyclability. Moreover, with the fast emergence of industrialized Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques, mechanical design can be more flexible; i.e. through 3D topologies that allow for weight reduction. The use of most AM techniques for aluminum alloys, however, is currently quite restricted. This is due to metallurgical complexities originating from the interaction between high energy beams and aluminum alloys, where final parts' mechanical properties are highly influenced by temperature history throughout the AM process. The proposed research program aims at addressing such metallurgical issues and elevating the technical know-how for producing sound aluminum AM products with superior properties and optimum designs. A bottom-up, comprehensive approach will be employed, starting with optimization of aluminum feed-stock properties (i.e. powders with superior properties), and then optimization of both AM and post-AM processing. This project will focus on the powder-bed laser AM technique and select aluminum alloys (e.g. within AA5xxx and AA6xxx families of aluminum alloys) with highest appeal in transportation industry. The AM process capability for aluminum alloys is currently very limited, which is due to poorly understood and rarely-addressed metallurgical complexities associated with these alloys. The scientific knowledge and the optimization procedure, developed in this research program, will open a huge opportunity for more in-depth academic research as well as the expansion of the AM market. Of special interest for e.g., the Airbus Group GmbH, 3D printed components of specific grades of AA5xxx series aluminum alloys (AlMgSc) are under rigorous development for which the proposed research program will provide critical know-how. Also, this knowledge will be widely applicable to other alloys of interest to Canadian industry (e.g. AA7xxx series for Bombardier). The high-quality training the graduates of this research program will receive will allow them to develop a unique set of skills in process design and trouble-shooting for quality improvement in additive manufacturing of sensitive metals, such as aluminum alloys. Such expertise is in high demand for R&D centers and academic institutions around the world in a rapidly-growing metal additive manufacturing industry as well as academic research.

交通运输行业正在快速开发更高效的电动汽车设计，无论是汽车应用还是潜在的航空航天应用；电动飞行将是下一个重大挑战。减轻重量是未来使用轻金属和先进制造技术进行设计修改的重要组成部分，起着关键作用。轻质先进铝合金在交通运输行业的需求量很大，主要是因为它们具有高比强度（强度与密度比）、耐腐蚀性、可焊接性和可回收性。此外，随着工业化增材制造（AM）技术的快速出现，机械设计可以更加灵活；即通过 3D 拓扑来减轻重量。然而，大多数增材制造技术在铝合金中的应用目前受到很大限制。这是由于高能束和铝合金之间的相互作用产生的冶金复杂性，其中最终零件的机械性能很大程度上受到整个增材制造过程中温度历史的影响。拟议的研究计划旨在解决此类冶金问题，并提升生产具有卓越性能和优化设计的优质铝增材制造产品的技术知识。将采用自下而上的综合方法，首先优化铝原料性能（即具有优异性能的粉末），然后优化增材制造和增材制造后加工。该项目将重点关注粉床激光增材制造技术，并选择在交通运输行业最具吸引力的铝合金（例如 AA5xxx 和 AA6xxx 系列铝合金）。目前，铝合金的增材制造加工能力非常有限，这是由于人们对这些合金的冶金复杂性知之甚少且很少得到解决。该研究项目中开发的科学知识和优化程序将为更深入的学术研究以及增材制造市场的扩展提供巨大的机会。例如，空客集团有限公司特别感兴趣的是，特定牌号 AA5xxx 系列铝合金 (AlMgSc) 的 3D 打印组件正在严格开发中，拟议的研究计划将为此提供关键的专业知识。此外，这些知识将广泛适用于加拿大工业感兴趣的其他合金（例如庞巴迪的 AA7xxx 系列）。该研究项目的毕业生将接受的高质量培训将使他们能够在工艺设计和故障排除方面发展一套独特的技能，以提高铝合金等敏感金属增材制造的质量。在快速发展的金属增材制造行业以及学术研究中，世界各地的研发中心和学术机构对此类专业知识的需求量很大。