Available Technologies

In additive manufacturing, choice of process parameters for a given material and geometry can result in porosities in the build volume, which can result in scrap.

V-Cr-Ti alloys have been proposed as candidate structural materials in fusion reactor blanket concepts with operation temperatures greater than that for reduced activation ferritic martensitic steels (RAFMs).

The lack of real-time insights into how materials evolve during laser powder bed fusion has limited the adoption by inhibiting part qualification.  The developed approach provides key data needed to fabricate born qualified parts.

Distortion generated during additive manufacturing of metallic components affect the build as well as the baseplate geometries. These distortions are significant enough to disqualify components for functional purposes.

A new nanostructured bainitic steel with accelerated kinetics for bainite formation at 200 C was designed using a coupled CALPHAD, machine learning, and data mining approach.

For additive manufacturing of large-scale parts, significant distortion can result from residual stresses during deposition and cooling. This can result in part scraps if the final part geometry is not contained in the additively manufactured preform.

In additive manufacturing large stresses are induced in the build plate and part interface. A result of these stresses are deformations in the build plate and final component.

Materials produced via additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, can experience significant residual stress, distortion and cracking, negatively impacting the manufacturing process.

Fusion reactors need efficient systems to create tritium fuel and handle intense heat and radiation. Traditional liquid metal systems face challenges like high pressure losses and material breakdown in strong magnetic fields.