ORNL researchers win award for innovative jet engine repair study using laser-powder DED technology
November 28, 2024
A paper written by researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, was selected as the top paper of 2023 by Welding Journal.
The team behind the paper – former ORNL material scientist Niyanth Sridharan (now at Lincoln Electric India), current ORNL computational material scientist Yousub Lee and technical fellow Brian Jordan – received the Warren F Savage Memorial award from the American Welding Society at the 2024 FABTECH show on October 15 in Orlando, Florida, USA.
“I was so happy we were selected as paper of the year,” said Lee. “American Welding Society is one of the best societies with more than 70,000 members worldwide and their journal is over 100 years old with many subscribers in the community and a lot of exposure.”
The award-winning paper explored the feasibility of using laser-blown powder Direct Energy Deposition, or Laser-powder DED, a type of Additive Manufacturing, to repair high g’ IN-100 superalloy, a type of metal used in gas turbine components in high-temperature applications such as jet engines.
The research proposed an approach to effectively prevent issues with cracking commonly associated with the repair of hot section parts. In aviation, the hot section is the area of an engine where combustion temperatures and pressures are highest. To improve the reliability and lifespan of parts made from IN-100, ORNL researchers are using a variety of techniques, including computer simulations and detailed analysis of the metal’s structure, with the goal of better repairing and preventing cracks.
Working in collaboration with Delta Airlines, the team found that controlling thermally induced residual stresses and determining the preheat temperature of the area receiving the repair dramatically reduced the susceptibility to cracking.
“It was a huge issue to control simultaneously pre-heat temperature, manufacturing conditions and thermally induced residual stresses to prevent the susceptibility of cracking in high g’ IN-100 superalloy,” Lee shared.
“We want to extend this to more complex geometries and actual application to help aerospace industries or aerospace builds,” Lee added. “We can continue to work with gas turbines as well as other areas.”
This research stemmed from a collaboration between ORNL and Delta Tech Ops and was conducted in the ORNL Manufacturing Demonstration Facility sponsored by the US Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office.
The paper can be downloaded here (PDF).
