Go to Article
Excerpt from www.miragenews.com
When designing a mechanical system that includes metal, the engineer’s biggest enemy can be oxidation. The chemical reaction forms rust or causes other kinds of problems, affecting the efficiency or longevity of the device.
Additively manufactured metals – which have led to advances in aerospace, marine and automotive design, among other areas – are more susceptible to failure in a corrosive environment. The 3D printing process causes increased porousness when compared to conventionally manufactured metal.
What if there were a way to make metals stronger through oxidation? That’s the radical idea behind new research at Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.