MMAE Seminar - Dr. Andrew Wessman - Additive Manufacturing of Nickel Superalloys

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John T. Rettaliata Engineering Center, Room 104, 10 West 32nd Street, Chicago, IL 60616
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Armour College of Engineering's Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering Department will welcome Dr. Andrew Wessman, Staff Engineer at GE Additive, on Thursday, April 18th, to present his lecture, Additive Manufacturing of Nickel Superalloys.

Abstract

Additive manufacturing is a burgeoning area of research in both mechanical and materials engineering as a many industries are rapidly increasing the use of 3D printing to make engineered components. Adoption in the aerospace industry is especially rapid, where the combination of part complexity and low volumes is well suited to the current state of additive manufacturing technologies. Nickel superalloys, a class of materials used at high temperatures in applications such as turbine engines and rocket nozzles, are being increasingly used in additive manufacturing to produce complex structural components to improve performance, reduce weight and reduce system costs. This presentation will provide an overview of additive manufacturing, will explore the processing-microstructure-property relationships of the wrought superalloy Rene 65, and will compare some of the metallurgical features of additively manufactured Rene 65 to its wrought counterpart and discuss the likely consequences of the differences between the two processing routes with regards to materials performance.

Biography

Dr. Andrew Wessman is a Staff Engineer at GE Additive. During 14 years at GE, he worked at GE Aviation to develop polycrystalline nickel superalloys for use in turbine engine rotating parts. This work also included developing the forging, welding and ICME capabilities necessary to utilize these materials in safety critical components. Dr. Wessman moved to GE Additive prior to the launch of the new GE business in early 2017, and is currently leading development of high temperature materials and processes for additive manufacturing. He has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. in Materials Science from the University of Cincinnati. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor of Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering at The Ohio State University.