Prof. Najafi in collaboration with Prof. Kontsos (MEM, Drexel University) received a grant from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development, entitled “Aerospace Parts Advanced Manufacturing”. The objective of this 1-year project is to investigate the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of advanced manufacturing methods (AM) in relation to aerospace parts. To achieve this goal, Drexel University and Boeing Philadelphia have partnered to explore an Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) framework. The ICME framework is focused on the design of Titanium alloy forward rotor swashplate control fittings using AM methods to reduce mass. The proposed approach combines engineering design, testing, characterization, simulation, and optimization to not only perform a TRL assessment of existing AM capabilities, but also to build a roadmap on how advances in material, manufacturing, testing, and modeling could contribute to the continuous improvement of the quality of aerospace parts made by AM methods.
Multiscale Computational Mechanics and Biomechanics LAB @ Drexel University
Innovative Optimization in Materials Design