Plenary Lecture
The Challenges and Opportunities in Additive Manufacturing of Nickel Superalloy Components for Aerospace and Energy Applications
Professor Alexander M. Korsunsky
Multi-Beam Laboratory for Engineering Microscopy (MBLEM)
Department of Engineering Science
University of Oxford
U.K.
E-mail: alexander.korsunsky@eng.ox.ac.uk
Abstract: The developments in additive manufacturing (AM) act as one of the major drivers behind the new industrial evolution we are witnessing in the last decade. Due to the rapid advancements in the availability and versatility of processes and systems, fabrication of numerous components and complete working systems is now possible with ‘softer’ materials, i.e. polymers and lower melting point metallic alloys. However, AM with higher temperature metals, such as nickel-base superalloys, presents a greater challenge associated with their greater thermal resistance and lower weldability, i.e. capacity to make strong bonds that preserve the underlying strength and do not suffer from cracking induced by residual stresses that arise upon cooling from processing temperature. In my lecture I shall attempt to identify and illustrate some of the interesting problems and questions that are being faced by the researchers and industry technology developers in this context. How is it possible to control the microstructure of AM-built parts? How does one best evaluate and control the multi-scale residual stresses that arise in components manufactured by AM? How could we build reliable, yet workable process models that would allow objective-driven optimisation of AM? Is it possible to build in production authentication features (PAF’s) into AM parts to prevent counterfeiting? How do we obtain quantitative estimates of the uncertainties that arise in the course of AM production? I shall provide explanation and illustration of these questions, and suggest the directions along which the answers to them may be sought.
Brief Biography of the Speaker: Professor Alexander M. Korsunsky (AMK) is a world-leader in engineering microscopy of materials systems and structures for optimisation of design, durability and performance. He leads MBLEM lab at the University of Oxford, and the Centre for In situ Processing Science (CIPS) at Research Complex at Harwell. He consults Rolls-Royce plc on matters of residual stress and structural integrity, and is Editor-in-Chief of Materials & Design, a major Elsevier journal (2016 impact factor 3.997). He also leads a major EPSRC research project on nanoscale analysis and modelling of human dental caries.