QUESTEK INNOVATIONS LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N162-128

Description

QuesTek Innovations LLC, a leader in the field of Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME), proposes to develop an ICME analysis tools for marine gas turbine engine material optimization. QuesTek will build upon its licensed and previously developed HEA and Ni-based superalloy databases to assess the thermodynamic and kinetic descriptions of hot section materials. Using experimental data from the literature and previous alloy optimization programs, QuesTek will assess the accuracy of these databases and models and quantify their uncertainty. The tool will be developed and applied to HEA and Ni-based superalloy materials, examining processing/structure and structure/properties interactions, including phase stability, processing parameters, resultant microstructures, precipitation growth simulations, and strength models for these alloy systems. Phase II efforts will further develop the tool to enable automatic ICME gap and error detection using additional statistical methods to uncover missing and inaccurate data in ICME models and databases. Other key material properties of turbine materials (e.g. corrosion resistance, CMAS infiltration) will be evaluated Phase II. Successful ICME tools designs will be incorporated into commercial ICME tool packages in Phase III. Rolls Royce Corporation and GE Aviation, two of the worlds leading manufacturers of turbine engines, will provide feedback and guidance on key ICME goals.