Additive Manufacturing of Novel Transition Metal Boride Material System Resistant to Wear and Corrosion for Lunar and Planetary Exploration, Year 2

Ternary metal boride (MAB) materials are a class of recently discovered lightweight ceramics. MAB ceramics possess exceptional thermal conductivity, thermal shock resistance and high toughness and hardness compared to traditional structural ceramics and metals. Notable corrosion resistance has been observed in some MAB systems, such as chromium-molybdenum-aluminum-boride (CrMoAlB). We propose to utilize additive manufacturing to form MAB into complex shapes to leverage their unique properties for reliable wear components on exploration missions. In collaboration with the University of North Dakota under an existing EPSCoR and Space Act Agreement and materials researchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, MAB test articles will be built using additive manufacturing and lessons learned from our continuing CIF effort to fabricate test articles relevant to rovers and spacecraft requiring superior wear resistance for lunar exploration and other extreme environment conditions.

MAB phase materials have gained significant attention in the research community over the past two decades largely due to the unique properties and potential for application in a variety of fields. However, application of MAB materials has been limited by the cost and fabrication methods that can be employed to produce dense components. Consequently, MAB materials with geometries relevant to aerospace application have not been successfully or economically produced. This effort leverages results from a FY20 CIF/IRAD that explored LPBF parameters developed for MoAlB, but the sample sizes were very small due to a limited amount of MAB powder provided by UND (~5 grams). Additionally, spreadability of the powders during LPBF processing was challenged by their irregular morphology. Recent breakthroughs in processing of pure MoAlB powders with more regular morphology have unlocked a variety of powder processing methods, specifically additive manufacturing, that can potentially yield complex-shaped components. By producing dense, near-net components with complex geometries, successful application of LPBF additive manufacturing will broaden the potential application of these unique materials.

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