Researchers from the Ministry of Defense and RMIT University have proven that additive manufacturing or 3D printing of lightweight titanium can be a viable option for military vehicle armor protection forces.
So far, steel has been the first choice for armor because of its strength and hardness. However, steel armor adds a lot of weight, which affects the speed, range, payload and endurance of the vehicle.
A new additive manufacturing method pioneered by researchers Alex Medvedev and Milan Brandt of the RMIT Additive Manufacturing Center has been able to produce ballistic-grade titanium materials.
Researchers have previously studied lightweight titanium alloys for military purposes, but the high cost of raw materials and difficult processing means that they have limited applications in certain applications.
The latest developments in additive manufacturing processes and post-manufacturing heat treatment can now make titanium a more viable option.
Defense materials scientist Darren Edwards said that although additive manufacturing has great potential because it can quickly produce near-final components with highly customized geometries and on-demand microstructures, standard additive manufacturing processes using default parameters are possible. Will result in poor mechanical properties, such as strength and ductility, compared to traditional manufacturing.
"Our research focuses on optimizing the manufacturing process to achieve the ballistic properties required by the material," said Dr. Edwards.
The team must overcome many technical challenges to achieve the required performance.
"We have done a lot of work to determine the effect of microstructural features-phase composition, grain structure, and crystal structure-on the probability of failure under high strain rate ballistic impact," said Dr. Edwards.
"We now know the specific microstructure that provides the best ballistic performance.
"RMIT researchers are able to adjust the additive manufacturing process parameters to significantly improve the ballistic protection of materials directly taken from the machine."
In addition, the team proposed a new post-manufacturing heat treatment that significantly improved the ballistic performance, which also exceeded the required benchmark and performance of commercial off-the-shelf titanium armor plates.
"We hope this research will pave the way for autonomous manufacturing of titanium armor," said Dr. Edwards.
Through the sponsorship of the Next Generation Technology Fund, the RMIT University research project will continue to study the further protection and improvement that can be obtained through the use of innovative additive manufacturing technologies.
The National Defense Technology Group and RFTEQ are developing next-generation interference technologies.
Advanced artificial intelligence may be exciting in science fiction movies, but the Department of Defense is looking at similar concepts as possible future realities.
Scientists from the National Defense Technology Group have developed a computer device to improve safety and productivity.