Engineers must often grapple with new product designs that are limited by the materials commonly available to construct them. But there’s no reason to compromise the structural integrity, functionality or lifespan of a new device because available materials won’t meet design requirements. That’s where QuesTek’s technology can make a big difference. We’ve already done it for others, and we can do it for you.
QuesTek engineers can apply our proven systems-based ICME approach and Materials by Design® methodology to design and deploy new materials (alloys, coatings, additive manufacturing feedstock, and more) in a fraction of time and at much lower cost than traditional empirical trial and error methods. Central to the design process is the ability to predict the effect of composition and process history on microstructure and link that microstructure to key properties. QuesTek's ability to calculate fundamental parameters and develop vetted thermodynamic and kinetic databases of elemental properties, combined with its proprietary mechanistic models, creates the unique approach of QuesTek's Integrated Computational Materials Design (iCMD®) service for modeling and design of new materials. QuesTek has successfully designed client solutions in a variety of metallic systems including iron, aluminum, cobalt, copper, nickel, and titanium-based alloys.
Engineers must often grapple with new product designs that are limited by the materials commonly available to construct them. But there’s no reason to compromise the structural integrity, functionality or lifespan of a new device because available materials won’t meet design requirements. That’s where QuesTek’s technology can make a big difference. We’ve already done it for others, and we can do it for you.
QuesTek engineers can apply our proven systems-based ICME approach and Materials by Design® methodology to design and deploy new materials (alloys, coatings, additive manufacturing feedstock, and more) in a fraction of time and at much lower cost than traditional empirical trial and error methods. Central to the design process is the ability to predict the effect of composition and process history on microstructure and link that microstructure to key properties. QuesTek has successfully designed client solutions in a variety of metallic systems including iron, aluminum, cobalt, copper, nickel, and titanium-based alloys.
Materials Design Success Stories
Below highlight a handful of ways QuesTek has used ICME to design novel high performance materials
Ultra-High Strength, Stress Corrosion Resistant Steel
Ferrium® M54® steel, which combines strength, toughness and stress corrosion cracking resistance, is in use for demanding US Navy landing gear applications and was highlighted by the White House and the National Institute of Standards and Technology as a success story of the US Materials Genome Initiative. The properties of M54 are achieved by tailoring the alloy composition and thermal processing to yield a fine-grained (ASTM 4 or lower) and fully martensitic microstructure with secondary hardening carbide phases.
Castable and Creep Resistant Single Crystal Nickel Superalloy
Incumbent Ni-based single crystal (SX) alloys contain high rhenium (Re) content in order to improve creep resistance at elevated temperatures, although the high Re content leads to casting defects (freckles, bi-grains, hot tears) for larger industrial gas turbine blade castings. QuesTek's single crystal (QTSX) alloy combines the castability of Re-free alloys with the creep resistance of Re-rich alloys. The castablity is achieved by reducing Re content in QTSX, while the creep resistance is achieved through a high volume fraction of γ’-precipitate phases.
High Temperature Aluminum Alloy for Additive Manufacturing
QuesTek has designed a novel aluminum composition for additive manufacturing targeting applications requiring strength at high temperature. A unique, highly stable microstructure results from the combination of composition design and novel processing.