Phase II Lehigh U Site: I/UCRC for Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)

Lehigh University, Bethlehem PA

Investigators

Abstract

Many important components and systems that are fabricated by industry and subsequently used within the US infrastructure require joining at some point within the manufacturing process. Examples include aircraft parts, bridges, and power generation plants, just to name a few. Joining processes are quite complex and can significantly alter the properties of the materials used to create the component, thus affecting the ability of the component to operate safely over the targeted design life. Safe and effective design, fabrication, and use of components manufactured by joining requires integration of many engineering disciplines. Unfortunately, there is currently only a handful of US universities for solving these challenges, and there is a shortage of qualified engineers being trained in the US to address these issues. The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) was established to fulfill these needs. Due to the similarities between joining and many emerging Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, the Center has expanded to include AM. The academic researchers at all the Ma2JIC sites work closely with Center members to identify research projects that will provide member companies with methods for improving the performance and/or reducing the costs associated with components they design, manufacture, and/or use. The research projects conducted at all the sites also serve as vehicles for educating the next generation of highly trained graduate-level scientist and engineers in order to address the shortage of such professionals faced by industry. The Lehigh University site within Ma2JIC provides research expertise in several distinct areas such as modeling and electron microscopy, and also provides a strong link to the energy industry through their Energy Research Center. In addition, the educational goal is extended at the Lehigh site to include undergraduate students through a senior capstone course on Materials Selection and Failure Analysis in which Center members provide failed components for analysis by the students and serve as industrial mentors to the students. Safe and effective use of components manufactured by joining requires integration of many disciplines and the development of advanced characterization and modeling tools. There is currently only a handful of US universities for solving these challenges, and there is a shortage of qualified engineers being trained to address these issues. The Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC) was established to fulfill these needs. Due to the similarities between joining and many Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, the Center has expanded to include AM. The academic researchers at all the Ma2JIC sites work closely with Center members to identify research projects that will provide member companies with methods for improving the performance and/or reducing the costs associated with components they design, manufacture, and/or use. Research will be conducted at the Lehigh site in several different areas that have been identified jointly by industry and the academic partners, including stress relief cracking, creep-rupture of welds, weld overlay coatings, dissimilar metal welds, and high strength steels. The research will combine basic principles of phase transformations with state-of-the-art modeling tools and advanced microstructural characterization techniques to provide members with information for improving the performance and/or reducing costs associated with components they use and/or manufacture. The research projects conducted at all the Ma2JIC sites also serve as a vehicle for educating the next generation of highly trained scientist and engineers in order to address the shortage of such professionals faced by industry. This goal will be extended at the Lehigh site to include undergraduate students through the senior capstone course on Materials Selection and Failure Analysis in which Center members provide failed components for analysis by the students and will serve as industrial mentors. The students will submit their findings to the Center members and provide posters for the semi-annual Center meetings. This program will add value to Center memberships and improve the learning experience for undergraduate students.