Applying Rapid Qualification to Fatigue Assessment of a Binder Jet Superalloy

A rapid fatigue testing capability is demonstrated as a viable qualification approach to expedite the development of materials and Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes. Specifically, this work explores accelerated vibration fatigue testing results of Binder Jet Mar M 247 specimens for short lead time decision-making associated with changes to a postprocessing step. Using a vibration bending fatigue test method, this study reached a conclusion on the effects of Tantalum getter contamination on fatigue performance in 34% of the time while covering a 5X greater cycles to failure range than standard axial test methods. Furthermore, comparisons show that the differences in the fatigue performances of the accelerated test method and standard tests can be quantified with a scalar factor. The results in this work and future development of low-cost accelerated testing products are promising for achieving rapid qualification of AM processes that benefits the advancement of gas turbine engine systems.