About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Additive Manufacturing and Innovative Feedstock Processing for Multifunctional Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Additive Friction Stir Deposition for Sustainable In-Space Manufacturing Via In Situ Resource Utilization of Space Debris |
| Author(s) |
Charlye R. Baker, Ning Zhu, Pruthul Kokkada Ravindranath, Joseph W Pawelski, Cole L Ritter, Rachel M Swinney, Walter "Sparky" Matthews, Trevor J Fleck, J. Brian Jordon, Paul G Allison |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Charlye R. Baker |
| Abstract Scope |
This work presents a novel vertically integrated processing paradigm for upcycling metallic space debris, which is a growing risk to future space missions due to the increasing quantity of debris in orbit. Additive friction stir deposition (AFSD), a solid-state additive manufacturing process, enables the upcycling of metallic space debris and other in-situ resources into functional components. AFSD combines the advantages of additive manufacturing of hard-to-weld metals and post-processing to produce near-net shape components. In this work, simulated space debris was fabricated into rods using continuous casting to create feedstock for twin rod AFSD (TR-AFSD). The resulting TR-AFSD deposit exhibited a reduction of many of the casting defects inherent in the feedstock material and exhibited a more homogenous microstructure corresponding to improved material properties. These findings demonstrate the potential of AFSD for sustainable space exploration by enabling in-situ fabrication of high-performance components from reclaimed materials. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Recycling and Secondary Recovery, Aluminum |