Abstract: A method of resistance spot welding a workpiece stack-up that includes an aluminum workpiece and an overlapping adjacent steel workpiece so as to minimize the thickness of an intermetallic layer comprising Fe—Al intermetallic compounds involves providing reaction-slowing elements at the faying interface of the aluminum and steel workpieces. The reaction-slowing elements may include at least one of carbon, copper, silicon, nickel, manganese, cobalt, or chromium. Various ways are available for making the one or more reaction-slowing elements available at the faying interface of the aluminum and steel workpieces including being dissolved in a high strength steel or being present in an interlayer that may take on a variety of forms including a rigid shim, a flexible foil, a deposited layer adhered to and metallurgically bonded with a faying surface of the steel workpiece, or an interadjacent organic material layer that includes particles containing the reaction-slowing elements.

Abstract: A connecting rod comprises a shaft connecting a first end including a first bore with a second end including a second bore. Methods for forming and assembling a connecting rod and crankshaft assembly include fabricating the second end of the connecting rod via additive manufacturing such that the second end comprises a first and second weakened regions on opposing sides of the second bore, and breaking the second end of the connecting rod at the first and second weakened regions to form a connecting rod assembly comprising a second end base and a second end cap, wherein the base comprises a first fracture face and a second fracture face which each respectively correspond to a first fracture face and a second fracture face of the cap. The methods can further include mating the base and the cap such that a crankpin of a crankshaft is disposed within the second bore.

Abstract: Methods of forming a high-strength metal alloy precursor by tailor-casting strips having a tailored thickness across a width of a strip material are provided. The tailor-cast strips have varying thickness throughout the width, which can then be further tailor rolled to a final required thickness profile/tailored thickness. Such tailor-casting method can be conducted by contacting a patterned surface of a casting roller or a casting block with a liquid high-strength metal alloy in a continuous casting process. The present disclosure provides methods of continuously casting a strip having varying thickness across the width allows for improved product in subsequent processing, like tailor rolling. Methods of making a high-strength metal alloy structural automotive component from a tailor-cast blank having a tailored thickness are also provided.

Abstract: Systems and methods for additive manufacturing of a metallic component using a metal-powder paste are described. The metal-powder paste is a mixture including a non-uniform metal powder and a flowable additive. The metal-powder paste is applied to a surface of a substrate and spread to thereby produce a uniform-thickness layer in areas corresponding to the metallic component. The flowable additive is driven off using thermal energy to thereby form a layer of the non-uniform metal powder having a uniform thickness. The non-uniform metal powder is then fused to the substrate to thereby form the metallic component.

Abstract: A rotor for a positive displacement compressor assembly having a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and a rotor cavity in communication with the inlet and the outlet. The rotor may comprise a rotor body and a porous inner core enclosed within the rotor body. The rotor may comprise a tapered rotor body having an outer radius that decreases from a first end to a second end thereof. In one form, the positive displacement compressor assembly may comprise a supercharger assembly for an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: In various aspects, a lightweight connecting rod for an internal combustion engine is provided. The lightweight connecting rod has one or more of: hollow regions, lattice regions, or weight reduction apertures. The connecting rod may be made via an additive manufacturing process. The connecting rod includes a first end, a second end, and an arm. The first end is configured to be pivotally connected to a piston. The second end is configured to be pivotally connected to a crankshaft. The arm extends between the first end and the second end. The arm includes a peripheral wall. The peripheral wall has an outer surface, an inner surface, and an interior region. The interior region is defined be the inner surface. The interior region includes at least one void space. The void space is a lattice structure or a hollow region.

Abstract: A turbocharger having a turbo vane, an air compressor, and a hollow shaft integrally formed with one of the turbo vane and the air compressor. The turbo vane has a plurality of turbo blades extending from a hollow, central turbo hub. The air compressor has a plurality of compressor blades extending from a hollow, central compressor hub. The hollow shaft is in fluid communication with the air compressor so as to communicate cool air from the air compressor to the turbo vane.

Abstract: A three-dimensional object made of a bulk nitride, carbide, or boride-containing material may be manufactured using a powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technique. A layer of powder feed material may be distributed over a solid substrate and scanned with a high-energy laser beam to locally melt selective regions of the layer and form a pool of molten feed material. The pool of molten feed material may be exposed to gaseous nitrogen, carbon, or boron to respectively dissolve nitride, carbide, or boride ions into the pool of molten feed material to produce a molten nitrogen, carbon, or boron-containing solution. The molten nitrogen, carbon, or boron-containing solution may cool and solidify into a solid layer of fused nitride, carbide, or boride-containing material. In one form, the three-dimensional object may comprise a permanent magnet made up of a plurality of solid layers of fused iron nitride material having a magnetic Fe16N2 phase.

Abstract: Turbochargers include a compressor comprising a compressor body extending from a compressor back face and a plurality of blades extending from the compressor body, a turbine comprising a turbine body extending from a turbine back face and a plurality of blades extending from the turbine body, and a shaft coupled at a first end to the compressor back face and at a second end to the turbine back face. The shaft includes an internal passage extending from the first end towards the second end in fluid communication with the compressor blades and one or more fans disposed within the internal passage and configured to draw air toward the second end of the shaft. The internal passage of the shaft is in fluid communication with the compressor blades via one or more bleed air passages, which can be biased towards an outer diameter of the compressor body.

Abstract: A three-dimensional aluminum alloy part may be manufactured by a process in which a layer of aluminum alloy powder feed material is distributed over a substrate and scanned with a high-energy laser or electron beam in selective regions corresponding to a cross-section of the aluminum alloy part being formed. During the manufacturing process, the selective regions may melt and form a pool of molten aluminum alloy material. Thereafter, the pool of molten aluminum alloy material may cool and solidify into a solid layer of fused aluminum alloy material. During solidification of the pool of molten aluminum alloy material, solid phase particles may form within a solution of liquid phase aluminum prior to formation of solid phase aluminum dendrites. The resulting aluminum alloy part may exhibit a polycrystalline structure that predominantly includes a plurality of equiaxed grains, instead of columnar grains.

Abstract: A turbocharger having a turbo vane, an air compressor, and a hollow shaft integrally formed with one of the turbo vane and the air compressor. The turbo vane has a plurality of turbo blades extending from a hollow, central turbo hub. The air compressor has a plurality of compressor blades extending from a hollow, central compressor hub. The hollow shaft is in fluid communication with the air compressor so as to communicate cool air from the air compressor to the turbo vane.

Abstract: A powder material for an additive manufacturing process and a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional article via an additive manufacturing process. The powder material comprises an iron-based alloy including alloying elements of carbon (C) and copper (Cu). The iron-based alloy may be formulated to achieve a precipitation strengthened microstructure comprising a lath martensite matrix phase and a Cu precipitate phase. The iron-based alloy may have a Cu weight fraction and a nickel (Ni) weight fraction, and the Ni weight fraction may be less than the Cu weight fraction of the iron-based alloy.

Abstract: A panel assembly is formed by a plurality of bonds between two sheet materials in a face to face relationship to form a preform. The plurality of bonds define a closed perimeter region between the two sheet materials and an open perimeter region between the two sheet materials. The preform may be formed into a predefined shape. Pressurized fluid is applied through an inlet into the open perimeter region to expand the preform. The pressurized fluid expands the open perimeter region such that the two sheet materials expand in an opposing direction, thereby defining an expanded open perimeter region. The closed perimeter region between the two sheet materials remains vacant of the pressurized fluid such that the closed perimeter region is not expanded. The expanded open perimeter region is filled with a filler material for improving a performance characteristic of the panel assembly, e.g., strength, sound absorption, or stiffness.

Abstract: A rotor for a positive displacement compressor assembly having a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and a rotor cavity in communication with the inlet and the outlet. The rotor may comprise a rotor body and a porous inner core enclosed within the rotor body. The rotor may comprise a tapered rotor body having an outer radius that decreases from a first end to a second end thereof. In one form, the positive displacement compressor assembly may comprise a supercharger assembly for an internal combustion engine.

Abstract: A panel assembly is formed by a plurality of bonds between two sheet materials in a face to face relationship to form a preform. The plurality of bonds define a closed perimeter region between the two sheet materials and an open perimeter region between the two sheet materials. The preform may be formed into a predefined shape. Pressurized fluid is applied through an inlet into the open perimeter region to expand the preform. The pressurized fluid expands the open perimeter region such that the two sheet materials expand in an opposing direction, thereby defining an expanded open perimeter region. The closed perimeter region between the two sheet materials remains vacant of the pressurized fluid such that the closed perimeter region is not expanded. The expanded open perimeter region is filled with a filler material for improving a performance characteristic of the panel assembly, e.g., strength, sound absorption, or stiffness.

Abstract: An integrally formed piston has a crown portion having an upper crown surface and an undercrown surface. A ring belt extends from the undercrown surface at a periphery thereof. The ring belt includes an uppermost ring land and at least one oil galley contoured to extend around at least two surfaces of the uppermost ring land. The oil galley has an opening at the undercrown surface for receiving a cooling fluid therein for cooling the uppermost ring land. A skirt extends from the undercrown surface and the ring belt and has a plurality of stiffening features arranged in a truss formation. At least one of the plurality of stiffening features has an I-beam cross-section and another of the plurality of stiffening features has a negative draft angle.

Abstract: A monolithic rocker arm component includes a first lateral wall defining a first aperture and a first mass reducing feature, an opposing second wall defining a second aperture and a second mass reducing feature, a pushrod receiving member that bridges the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall at a first end of the rocker arm, and a tongue element that bridges the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall at a second end of the rocker arm. The pushrod receiving member routes oil from the first towards the second end. The monolithic rocker arm may have one or more internal regions having lattice structures. Methods for additive manufacturing the monolithic rocker component are also provided.

Abstract: In various aspects, a lightweight connecting rod for an internal combustion engine is provided. The lightweight connecting rod has one or more of: hollow regions, lattice regions, or weight reduction apertures. The connecting rod may be made via an additive manufacturing process. The connecting rod includes a first end, a second end, and an arm. The first end is configured to be pivotally connected to a piston. The second end is configured to be pivotally connected to a crankshaft. The arm extends between the first end and the second end. The arm includes a peripheral wall. The peripheral wall has an outer surface, an inner surface, and an interior region. The interior region is defined be the inner surface. The interior region includes at least one void space. The void space is a lattice structure or a hollow region.

Abstract: A monolithic rocker arm component includes a first lateral wall defining a first aperture and a first mass reducing feature, an opposing second wall defining a second aperture and a second mass reducing feature, a pushrod receiving member that bridges the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall at a first end of the rocker arm, and a tongue element that bridges the first lateral wall and the second lateral wall at a second end of the rocker arm. The pushrod receiving member routes oil from the first towards the second end. The monolithic rocker arm may have one or more internal regions having lattice structures. Methods for additive manufacturing the monolithic rocker component are also provided.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a fuse includes providing a fuse element within a casing. The fuse element has a plurality of ligaments configured to direct a current therethrough. A mechanical tension is then applied to the fuse element and a filler material is added to the casing so as to support the fuse element. The filler material is then solidified. Next, the mechanical tension is removed with the fuse element retaining a residual tensile stress after removal of the mechanical tension.