A UND Mechanical Engineering professor has received federal funding to research new manufacturing methods for components used in nuclear reactors.
Sougata Roy, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, received nearly USD 250,000 to study how additive manufacturing (AM) processes can be used to make the nuclear reactor components.
The research project will make use of nitrogen-strengthened austenitic steel, which will function as the feedstock for the manufacturing process. Once completed, those components will undergo an in-depth investigation into their functionality versus traditionally manufactured components. Funding for the project was awarded through the National Science Foundation. Roy will serve as the principal investigator on the project.
Roy said additive manufacturing allows for the capability to control material properties near the surface of a manufactured object, as well as at its core, something not possible with traditional methods of manufacture.
This is the most recent federal funding award for additive manufacturing that Roy has received.
