ABSTRACT
The Air Force Institute of Technology, Ohio, United States is exploring how additive manufacturing (AM) might benefit aerospace structures. The anticipated mechanical properties of AM metals are typically lower than their wrought counterparts. The overriding goal of this project is to assess the dynamic characteristics of a precipitation hardening stainless steel formed via an AM process, with and without subsequent heat treatment, to determine the variances of formation on the properties. AM is broadly described as a number of methods of producing parts by building up material instead of traditional subtractive processes. Due to the nature of formation, the AM material is subjected to different solidification protocols than traditionally cast or wrought material. Quasi-static testing is utilized to enable measurements of the mechanical parameters of the AM material in terms comparable to the reported values of the traditional 15–5PH material.
