Session: 18-05 Additive Manufacturing - Design and Components for Gas Turbine Engines

Paper Number: 83592

83592 - Sintering Behaviour of 3d Printed 17-4PH Stainless Steel 

The objective of this study is to investigate the sintering behavior of 17-4PH stainless steel printed by the atomic diffusion additive manufacturing (ADAM) method. The samples were manufactured with film cooling holes in different build directions by the Metal X system. Cooling holes in different build orientations gave an overview of the printability and accuracy of the atomic diffusion additive manufacturing (ADAM) technique. Samples were processed by washing, thermal de-binding, and sintering to produce a final part. Pre-sintered parts, after washing, were tested for chemical composition (X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer), particle size analysis, and microstructure analysis using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the material properties. Post sintered samples were tested for density, roughness, microstructure analysis. A unique conceptual approach and statistical analysis are included in this research to get a high confidence interval from the test results. Also, to understand the printed hole geometry, probability, accuracy, CT (Computerized Tomography) scans were done. To understand the sintering kinetics Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Dilatometry (DIL) tests were performed and the results gave details about the thermal response of the material, microstructural evolution over the temperature range. The results from pre-sintering and post-sintering tests showed the impact of sintering on the material properties. Also, the Dilatometry (DIL) results showed shrinkage over the temperature profile, and significant changes in shrinkages were found above 1000 deg C. The indentation of results gave an overview of the sintering kinetics of 3D printed 17-4PH stainless steel and its influence on the material properties. This helps to decide the optimized sintering profile to achieve high dense material.

Presenting Author: Nandhini Raju University of Central Florida

Presenting Author Biography: Nandhini Raju is a Doctoral student and working in the Center for Advanced Turbomachinery & Energy Research(CATER) at the University of Central Florida. She received the prestigious Siemens Doctoral Fellowship for her doctoral research. Her current research focuses on additive manufacturing for efficient high-temperature applications. She graduated Master's in Aerospace engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. Before joining their Ph.D. in UCF, She worked in National Aerospace Laboratories(India), Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Singapore University of Technology, and design(SUTD) for different mechanical and aerospace projects. She published more than 10 peer-reviewed conferences and journals. She is also being a motivational speaker and mentor to a number of charities to guide STEM students. Also, she is being president of a student club, Students for Training, Research and Education in Energy and Turbines(STREET).

Authors:

Nandhini Raju University of Central Florida
Peter Warren University of Central Florida
Ramesh Subramanian Siemens Energy, Inc.
Ranajay Ghosh University of Central Florida
Erik Fernandez University of Central Florida
Seetha Raghavan University of Central Florida
Jayanta Kapat University of Central Florida