From powder to part: Overcoming key deployment and manufacturability barriers in ultra-high temperat

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When:  Oct 1, 2024 from 18:30 to 19:45 (ET)
Associated with  Connecticut Chapter Community
Please join ASM Connecticut Chapter (https://www.asmconnecticut.org/) on Tuesday October 1, 2024 at 6:30 PM
 
Topic: From powder to part: Overcoming key deployment and manufacturability barriers in ultra-high temperature component applications.
Summary: An overview of use case in high refractory, ablation- and corrosion-prone environment in high-speed flight aerospace components and structures – through the lens of an active production program. Presentation of opportunity area, technical challenges, approach, solution and full-scale production program resulting in using unique, proven powder-to-part manufacturing process, inclusive of superior density, refractory and ductility production part.
Speaker:   Karthik Nagarathnam
Senior Materials Scientist
9441 Innovation Drive
Manassas, VA 20110
Abstract
An overview of Utron Kinetics’ Advanced Manufacturing Using High Pressure Combustion Driven Powder Compaction (CDC) will be provided, along with active use case in production setting. Scientific and technological benefits with select examples of components using metals including lightweight materials, superalloys, refractory high temperature materials (e.g., Rhenium, Moly/Rhenium, Tungsten Alloys), magnetic materials, ceramics (e.g., Carbides, Oxides) and advanced composites (Metal and Ceramic-matrix) for defense, aerospace, energy and commercial industries are briefly highlighted. Current efforts to include Rapid Prototyping/Additive Manufacturing using rapid solidification expand the potential for (a) scaled production and (b) large-scale components for aerospace, energy, and other customers. Technical seminar also includes include interactive discussion to identify areas of interest for industry, advanced materials and technical service needs through potential programs of interest.
Several key process advantages with Utron Kinetics’s Powder Compaction Manufacturing include:
  • Improved as-pressed and sintered part densification due to higher consolidation pressures (>50 tsi and up to 100-150 tsi) than possible by conventional methods leading to superior mechanical properties/high temperature resistance with higher structural integrity
  • No admixed binder chemicals in powders needed for consolidation
  • Tailor-made near/net shape parts fabrication with unique ability to consolidate broad spectrum of difficult-to-press powders of various sizes and morphologies (e.g., macro, micro and nano)
  • Significant reduction in materials wastages, improvement in materials properties, novel materials development, microstructural grain size control
  • Ability to manufacture single/layered structures
  • Scalability and Cost Effectiveness for production scale manufacturing
  • Zero defect execution
Potential applications for aerospace, energy and other commercial industries include lightweight composite parts, propulsion components, thrusters, valve components, bearing liners, erosion resistant thermal protection/heat shield tiles, high permeability magnets, advanced insulators, refractory carbide/metal components, hypersonic seal components, interconnects for fuel cells, wear/corrosion resistant tribological components.
Bio
Karthik Nagarathnam, PhD
Company: Utron Kinetics LLC
Position/Program Responsibility: Senior Materials Scientist/Manager-Materials Research
Karthik Nagarathnam, PhD
Education: Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering (University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign)
Principal Investigator (PI) - Dr. Karthik Nagarathnam, Senior Materials Scientist Dr. Nagarathnam is Kinetics’ Senior Materials Scientist and Manager of Materials Research. He is involved in materials science/engineering aspects, powder materials design/development, mechanical/tribological/high temperature properties, fracture/failure analysis, competitive manufacturing processes, and process optimization for CDC processing.
He is also a Principal Investigator for Kinetics’ award winning SBIR/STTR projects (MDA, OSD/ONR, DARPA, DOE, NAVY, ARMY, NASA) and a contributing scientist for other commercial and DoD project developments for Kinetics. He has been the Senior Lead Scientist for SM3 materials development and characterization through several MDA SBIR/STTR programs and production programs. Dr. Nagarathnam’s PhD work on Materials for Advanced Tribological Applications was supported by NSF at UIUC and UC Berkeley through the NSF Career Achievement Young Investigator Award of his advisor Dr. Kyriakos Komvopoulos who is at UC Berkley now.
At Utron Kinetics, he has also won NSF Goali award previously with Virginia Tech for advanced materials for armor ceramics. His Ph. D. in Mechanical Engineering is from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) in 1994 and pre-doctoral/post-doctoral research/teaching at the University of California at Berkeley (1990-94), UIUC (1994-1996), University of Michigan (1996-1999), and Old Dominion University ARC/ME Dept. (1999-2001) respectively.
Further, Dr. Nagarathnam has also been actively involved with Jefferson Lab and DOE SBIR projects previously as an R&D/Engineering Consultant. His credentials include several research papers, teaching awards & seminars in various Universities, Industries/Conferences. He has also worked on research projects from MDA, OSD/ONR. NSF, NASA, DOE, DOD-ARPA, North American Hoganas, Ford, GM-Delphi Packard Electric, Caterpillar /Solar Turbine, John Deere, Siemens Automotive, NASA Langley Research Center, Jefferson Lab, Bloom Energy, General Dynamics, GE-Aerospace, Osensa. He is a member of ASM and APMI International. Dr. Nagarathnam is also an elected member of engineering honor societies such as Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, and Alpha Nu Sigma in the USA.

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