Abstract

In recent years, environmental protection has taken center stage, prompting industries to develop clean, efficient, and cost-effective energy and energy-related technologies. However, achieving these goals remains challenging in many fields.

Additive manufacturing, an emerging technology for producing high-temperature materials non-traditionally, offers a promising solution. This method enables 3D printing of materials that can withstand high-temperature environments, which are crucial in nuclear reactions and aerospace applications. Additive manufacturing offers several key advantages, including design flexibility and the ability to create complex geometries during the manufacturing process.

In recent years, additive manufacturing has emerged as a novel technique for producing high-temperature materials, offering a promising alternative to traditional manufacturing methods. Additive manufacturing offers several key advantages, including design flexibility and the ability to create complex geometries during the manufacturing process. The presented research investigates a novel process termed flame-assisted additive manufacturing (FLAMe), which has many advantages over traditional AM processes. This innovative approach enables 3D printing of materials capable of withstanding extreme temperatures, which is crucial for applications in industries such as nuclear energy and aerospace. In the FLAMe process, particles are synthesized with minimal impurities at high-temperature and these particles are then impacted onto a surface. In this study, FLAMe is shown to produce refractory materials with high melting points, overcoming a key limitation of traditional AM processes. The conducted experiments demonstrate that this technology can produce titanium deposits in a controlled environment. Utilizing the improved FLAMe system, it is possible to produce titanium with purity levels up to 97.9%. This emphasizes the potential of flame-assisted additive manufacturing as an efficient solution for fabricating high-temperature materials across various industries. The development of such advanced manufacturing techniques not only improves production efficiency but also supports industries in their pursuit of more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions.

Committee Chair

Richard L. Axelbaum

Committee Members

Richard L. Axelbaum Katharine Flores Patricia Weisensee

Degree

Master of Science (MS)

Author's Department

Materials Science & Engineering

Author's School

McKelvey School of Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Spring 2023

Language

English (en)

Download

Available for download on Thursday, April 23, 2026

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Engineering Commons

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