Penn State Engineering Receives U.S. Army Grant to Advance High-Strength Steel Additive Manufacturing

Researchers at Penn State University, College of Engineering, University Park, Pennsylvania, have received a grant of $434,000 from the United States Army to develop Additive Manufacturing techniques for high-strength steels and alloys. Although these materials are currently used in many defense applications, such as personal armor, armored vehicles, specialized facilities for blast & ballistic protection and ship hulls, they can be difficult to manufacture utilizing traditional processes.

“These steels exhibit much higher cracking sensitivities and lower overall weldability, which make them notoriously challenging to produce,” stated Todd Palmer, professor of Engineering Science & Mechanics and Materials Science & Engineering, who will act as principal investigator of the project. Palmer, along with co-principal investigator Amrita Basak, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering, plan to use AM to expand the functions of these high-strength materials to save costs and increase utilization.

The laser-based directed energy deposition (DED) AM process could allow engineers to design more intricate components, but the properties of the steel and their manufacturing process need to be better understood and controlled. “These materials are a completely new class for Additive Manufacturing,” commented Basak. “What we find can help the research community pursue this further, and perhaps the Army will discover new ways to use these materials to further their mission.”