LIFT project to focus on computer analytics to predict titanium performance

The third technology project announced by Detroit-based LIFT (Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow) will focus on titanium. Lead partners on the project—GE Aviation and The Ohio State University—will focus first on advancing computer analytics to better understand and predict the performance of titanium alloys.

“Titanium is expensive, and engineers have to ‘make and break’ a lot of test parts before they can be sure the design is right for a critical component of an airplane engine,” said Alan Taub, chief technology officer at LIFT. “If we can advance the abilities of our computer models to better predict how a particular design will perform, we can test less. That cuts material and testing costs and the lead time for developing new designs.”

Thomas F. Broderick, senior staff engineer, structural materials development, GE Aviation, said, "Our interests emphasize development of computational means to predict fatigue and ballistic impact resistance within the highly transformed microstructures that are formed about the solid-state weld interface.”

Boeing and Scientific Forming Technologies Corp. are the other industry partners on the project. EWI, Purdue University, Southwest Research Institute, University of Michigan, and the University of North Texas will contribute to the project as research participants.

“This project aims to develop computer models that will reduce by 50 percent both the time and cost for materials development, component design, and manufacture,” said Taub. “In addition, the new computational tools will help us manufacture components that perform better.

LIFT is operated by the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII) and was selected through a competitive process led by the U.S. Department of Defense under the Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing Innovation (LM3I) solicitation issued by the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Research.

LIFT is one of the founding institutes in the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a federal initiative to create regional hubs to accelerate the development and adoption of cutting-edge manufacturing technologies.