Additive Manufacturing for Propulsion and Hypersonicsat the Air Force Institute of Technology

AFIT is conducting research to harness the flexibility of Additive Manufacturing (AM), specifically Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) processes to enhance micropropulsionand external surfaces for hypersonic vehicles.  For micropropulsion, the effects of AM surface quality on flow and thrust production in small, low Reynold’s number nozzles is being investigated, both analytically and experimentally to assess the drawbacks in terms of propulsive losses, as balanced by the significant cost savings available using the DMLS parts.  In hypersonics, AM is being studied in conjunction with CFD studies of internal cooling flows and Topology Optimization (TO) of structural elements to generate more optimal leading edge or nose surfaces, capable of withstanding the thermal and structural loads of hypersonic flight. AFIT’s progress in both of these areas will be presented.