Date of Award
Fall 2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Borg, John
Second Advisor
Rice, James
Third Advisor
Singer, Simcha
Abstract
Using a vacuum hot extraction method diffusivity and concentration of hydrogen were measured in samples of tungsten bar stock and direct metal laser sintered (DMLS) tungsten. It was found that the tungsten bar stock closely adhered to the model established by Frauenfelder. The DMLS samples approximately follow a downward sloping trend over the 500K-1200K temperature range. The trend is opposite of what is expected suggesting processing has a major effect on diffusion behavior. A CFD model was created using ANSYS Fluent to simulate the diffusion behavior. The model functions by separating out diffusion mechanisms and solving Fick’s law with each mechanism treated as its own species. When the results of the simulation are recombined the diffusion behavior of the original part is retrieved. At the coupon level the simulation proved to be an effective tool at predicting diffusion behavior. This modeling technique is intended to be applied to more complex geometries to appropriately design degassing cycles to reduce cycle on time and improve vacuum stability for DMLS formed parts.