China3D printingNet August 13th, last year, ITAMCO (Indiana Technology and Manufacturing Corporation), which is dedicated to exploring alternatives to traditional production processes, teamed up with researchers at Purdue University to produce a prototype for the U.S. Air Force.3D printingof airport runway pads for temporary or expeditionary flightsuse.
The team was able to compete after winning funding for the first phase of a competitive SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program3D printingPhase 2 project funding for the Runway Pad and announced that it has received the funding.It also
To encourage U.S. small businesses to engage in, and ultimately commercialize, federal research/R&D as part of the SBIR program. ITAMCO has been providing open gear and precision machining services to the heavy duty industry since 1955, and in 2015 successfully launched the Strategic Technology Program for Additive Manufacturing. ITAMCO and its partners confirmed the commercial potential, feasibility and technical advantages of the technology.first stage use3D printingbut the second phase will see the team continue with the prototype and testing process.
When discussing military objectives, we often hear the term “readiness,” which measures a unit’s ability to accomplish its mission. Since the Vietnam War, the U.S. military has most often used portable runway surfaces made of AM-2 (aluminum plank mats). Although this has been successfully done for decades, the Air Force believes it is time to upgrade and ITAMCO’s research project team is ready.
(Image courtesy of ITAMCO)
The group’s research goal is to create a replacement for the AM-2 racetrack mat using robust roll or sheet technology, and additive manufacturing will provide multiple benefits in this work. Portable airway cushions must be strong enough to withstand the stress of many aircraft takeoffs and landings, yet still be easy to store and set up. The team, in collaboration with Pablo Zavattieri, an associate professor in Purdue University’s Lyles School of Civil Engineering, came up with a solution that featured matching upper and lower surfaces and used phase-change cell matrix (PXCM) geometry to help cushion the The loads and shear stresses that must be tolerated.
“The main advantage is that not only can it be used as an energy-absorbing material, but, unlike many other materials designed for this purpose, PXCM can be reused because no irreversible deformation occurs,” explains Prof. Zavattieri.
Compression testing of the honeycomb structure of phase change honeycomb materials. (Image courtesy of Purdue University)
Projects made with PXCM geometry can actually be changed from one stable configuration to another and back again.So, in essence, the ITAMCO team’s3D printingRunway mats should be able to “self-heal” which will undoubtedly extend the life of the product.In fact, according to a 2016 ASME article on PXCMs developed by Purdue and General Motors, they can “scale to almost any size and perform3D printing”, and “can be similar to commercial metal honeycomb structures used for energy dissipation without any manipulation,” relying on plastic deformation to restore the original for repeated use.”
ITAMCO and Purdue are also using Atlas 3D Sunata, a cloud-based ITAR-compatible software used by several Fortune 500 companies and the Department of Defense.The software is3D printingThe best orientation is selected and the necessary support structures will be automatically generated. The new 3D printable PXCM material used to make runway mats can support 5,000 landing and takeoff cycles in 60 days of flight operations and can be placed by hand on a horizontal surface of the appropriate density. In addition, the performance of the runway is not negatively affected by debris.
July 12, 2016Tech SergeantDan Zimmerman (rear) and senior pilot Thet Tun (front) carry an AM2 matting material at Camp Deville, Afghanistan. A 100′ x 100′ helicopter landing area was constructed using AM-2 matte surfaces to support the medical facility at Camp Deville. Image: (courtesy of 451 Aviation Expeditionary Support Squadron)
The new PXCM solution aims to cost no more than 3.5 pounds per square foot of runway, and the prototype of the runway mat will be carried out on ITAMCO’s EOS M290 system3D printing.The team will test the new AM-2 runway mat according to MIL-Spec against the existing3D printingPrototype, and prepare the final repair site and the ability of the pad to regain its own shape and function when fully operational.
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