A New Approach in the Design of Microstructured Ultralight Components to Achieve Maximum Functional Performance

Abstract

In the energy and aeronautics industry, some components need to be very light but with high strength. For instance, turbine blades and structural components under rotational centrifugal forces, or internal supports, ask for low weight, and in general, all pieces in energy turbine devices will benefit from weight reductions. In space applications, a high ratio strength/weight is even more important. Light components imply new optimal design concepts, but to be able to be manufactured is the real key enable technology. Additive manufacturing can be an alternative, applying radical new approaches regarding part design and components’ internal structure. Here, a new approach is proposed using the replica of a small structure (cell) in two or three orders of magnitude. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is one of the most well-known additive manufacturing methods of functional parts (and prototypes as well), for instance, starting from metal powders of heat-resistant alloys. The working conditions for such components demand high mechanical properties at high temperatures, Ni-Co superalloys are a choice. The work here presented proposes the use of “replicative” structures in different sizes and orders of magnitude, to manufacture parts with the minimum weight but achieving the required mechanical properties. Printing process parameters and mechanical performance are analyzed, along with several examples.