Mines Team Helps Pioneer Cutting-Edge On-Aircraft Repair of B-1 Fuselage Saving DOD $500,000
News ReleaseJuly 20, 2021News
courtesy photoMines Team Helps Pioneer Cutting-Edge On-Aircraft Repair of B-1 Fuselage Saving DOD $500,000
RAPID CITY, SD — A team of students and professors from South Dakota Mines assisted Air Force personnel in employing cold spray technology to repair a broken hinge tied to the fuselage of a B-1B Lancer. Cold spray, an additive manufacturing method, is essentially spray on metal that can be machined to fit. The technology uses metal microparticles that are sprayed at very high velocities. These tiny particles then adhere to the original metal on impact, forming a dense coating or deposition. In many cases, cold spray can be used to restore worn and damaged aircraft parts to extend service lifetimes.