Performance-driven Computational Design of Multi-terminal Compositionally Graded Alloy Structures using Graphs

Abstract: The spatial control of material placement afforded by metal additive manufacturing (AM) has enabled significant progress in the development and implementation of compositionally graded alloys (CGAs) for spatial property variation in monolithic structures. However, cracking and brittle phase formation have hindered CGA development, with limited research extending beyond materials design to structural design. Notably, the high-dimensional alloy design space (systems with more than three active elements) remains poorly understood, specifically for CGAs. As a result, many prior efforts take a trial-and-error approach. Additionally, current structural design methods are inadequate for joining dissimilar alloys. In light of these challenges, recent work in graph information modeling and design automation has enabled topological partitioning and analysis of the alloy design space, automated design of multi-terminal CGAs, and automated conformal mapping of CGAs onto corresponding structural geometries. In comparison, prior gradient design approaches are limited to two-terminal CGAs. Here, we integrate these recent advancements, demonstrating a unified performance-driven CGA design approach on a gas turbine blade with broader application to other material systems and engineering structures.