Additive Manufacturing of 17-4PH Alloy: Tailoring the Printing Orientation for Enhanced Aerospace Application Performance

Additive manufacturing (AM) is one of the fastest-growing markets of our time. During its journey in the past 30 years, its key to success has been that it can easily produce extremely complex shapes and is not limited by tooling problems when a change in geometry is desired. This flexibility leads to possible solutions for creating lightweight structural elements while keeping the mechanical properties at a stable reserve factor value. In the aerospace industry, several kinds of structural elements for fuselage and wing parts are made from different kinds of steel alloys, such as 17-4PH stainless steel, which are usually milled from a block material made using conventional processing (CP) methods. However, these approaches are limited when a relatively small element must withstand greater forces that can occur during flight. AM can bridge this problem with a new perspective, mainly using thin walls and complex shapes while maintaining the ideal sizes. The downside of the elements made using AM is that the quality of the final product is highly dependent on the build/printing orientation, an issue extensively studied and addressed by researchers in the field. During flight, some components may experience forces that predominantly act in a single direction. With this in mind, we created samples with the desired orientation to maximize material properties in a specific direction. The goal of this study was to demonstrate that an additively manufactured part, produced using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), with a desired build orientation has exceptional properties compared to parts produced via conventional methods. To assess the impact of the build orientation on the LPBF parts’ properties, one-dimensional tensile and dynamic fracture toughness tests were deployed

The performance success within the competitive equestrian field: A novice and intermediate rider focused investigation

The aim of the current study was to investigate Equestrian Sports Dynamics (Motivation, Coach-Athlete Relationship, Self-Efficacy and Training- both Physical and Mental) of affiliated U.K equestrian riders upon their performance success of affiliated competition across three disciplines, Showjumping, Dressage and Eventing (The three dominant disciplines in the Equine U.K.) A hybrid questionnaire was produced from the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire, Mental Toughness Inventory, Sports Motivational Scale-28, the Self-Efficacy Scale and one’s own adopted and refined questions (for the physical training research). The total participants accepted (n=236, Showjumping=107, British Eventing=49, British Dressage=80) and the total participants rejected (n=144) were accounted. A multiple regression analysis was implemented with revealing findings. Motivation was significantly and negatively correlated with performance success on Novice Eventers and Intermediate Showjumpers. These proved to be the only predictors of performance success, however interestingly, it was found that the predictor variables across the disciplines and levels were for the most part, moderately and positively correlated upon each other. However, these findings were not significant. This suggests there is evidence for the Equestrian Sports Dynamics that do work in unison for future investigations on the relationship of these moderately correlated variables, despite non-significance. It is recommended that further investigations of these Equestrian Sports Dynamics are to be implemented to extend the understanding of this sporting phenomenon in utilising these key elements to push forward Britain’s Equestrian rider performance which is to be replicated on the national and world stage

A Novel Process to Produce Ti Parts from Powder Metallurgy with Advanced Properties for Aeronautical Applications

Titanium and its alloys have excellent corrosion resistance, heat, and fatigue tolerance, and their strength-to-weight ratio is one of the highest among metals. This combination of properties makes them ideal for aerospace applications; however, high manufacturing costs hinder their widespread use compared to other metals such as aluminum alloys and steels. Powder metallurgy (PM) is a greener and more cost and energy-efficient method for the production of near-net-shape parts compared to traditional ingot metallurgy, especially for titanium parts. In addition, it allows us to synthesize special microstructures, which result in outstanding mechanical properties without the need for alloying elements. The most commonly used Ti alloy is the Ti6Al4V grade 5. This workhorse alloy ensures outstanding mechanical properties, demonstrating a strength which is at least twice that of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) grade 2 and comparable to the strength of hardened stainless steels. In the present research, different mixtures of both milled and unmilled Cp-Ti grade 2 powder were utilized using the PM method, aiming to synthesize samples with high mechanical properties comparable to those of high-strength alloys such as Ti6Al4V. The results showed that the fine nanoparticles significantly enhanced the strength of the material, while in several cases the material exceeded the values of the Ti6Al4V alloy. The produced sample exhibited a maximum compressive yield strength (1492 MPa), contained 10 wt.% of fine (milled) particles (average particle size: 3 μm) and was sintered at 900 °C for one hour