Integrated Computational Materials Engineering Development of High-Strength Molybdenum Alloys with Improved Ductility

QuesTek Innovations LLC has applied its Materials by Design® approach to the design and development of ductile, low-cost, creep-resistant molybdenum-based alloys for use at 1300°C and above for potential use high-temperature propulsion applications. The design of an advanced Mo-based alloy was based on Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) principles that utilized computational models to address key mechanistic factors of embrittlement (e.g., interstitial impurity tolerance, grain boundary cohesion) and high-temperature strength (e.g., dispersion strengthening, recrystallization resistance) in molybdenum-based alloys. Results will be presented from initial prototype production, including bend transition temperature and high-temperature tensile properties relative to the baseline TZM alloy (a common commercial molybdenum-based alloy). New alloys demonstrate similar or better mechanical properties with significantly improved ductile-to-brittle transition temperature relative to baseline TZM.  The development of these alloys has been sponsored by a DARPA-funded Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.