Graduate Student Seminar
September 05, 2025
12:45 p.m. ET
7500 Wean Hall
GRX-810: A 3D Printable Alloy Designed for Extreme Environments
The need for metal alloys which are suitable for additive manufacturing (AM) processes (e.g. laser powder bed fusion (LPBF)) that can perform at temperatures above 1000°C has led to a resurgence of interest in printable oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys. GRX-810 is a NASA developed NiCoCr-based ODS alloy designed for AM that shows exceptional tensile and creep performance at 1093°C, as well as maintaining strong oxidation resistance. The alloy features a combination of solid solution strengthening, a nanoscale dispersion of Y2O3 particles, and stable MC carbides which create a robust and stable microstructure in extreme environments. The alloy composition was developed using computational thermodynamic modeling to balance several factors including freezing range, and suppression of unwanted phases. Advanced characterization of the microstructure (quality of dispersion, evolution of phases, grain structure, etc.) provides unique insights into the performance of this novel alloy system. In addition, insights into lessons learned during the scale up effort pertaining to GRX-810 and other coated feedstocks will be discussed.
Tim Smith
Research Materials Engineer, NASA Glenn Research Center
Smith is the principal investigator for three separate NASA research projects. In this role, he has lead research that directly resulted in over a dozen research licenses, four commercial licenses, and contributed to numerous collaborative agreements with industry. He leads both high temperature alloy development and characterization efforts within the High Temperature and Smart Alloys Branch at NASA Glenn Research Center.
Tim has earned numerous awards over the course of his career both within NASA and by outside organizations. He received the Early Career Achievement Medal in 2020, the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal in 2022, and the NASA Group Achievement Award in 2023. His publications have also been recognized for Superalloys 2020 Conference Best Paper, 2020 Materials and Structures Division Best Paper and the 2023 Glenn Research Center Distinguished Publication Award. In 2023, He and his colleagues were awarded an R&D100 Award NASA Commercial Invention of the Year for the creation of a new high temperature alloy named GRX-810.