Alloys comprised of a refined microstructure, ultrafine or nano scaled, that when reacted with water or any liquid containing water will spontaneously and rapidly produce hydrogen at ambient or elevated temperature are described. These metals, termed here as aluminum based nanogalvanic alloys will have applications that include but are not limited to energy generation on demand. The alloys may be composed of primarily aluminum and other metals e.g. tin bismuth, indium, gallium, lead, etc. and/or carbon, and mixtures and alloys thereof. The alloys may be processed by ball milling for the purpose of synthesizing powder feed stocks, in which each powder particle will have the above mentioned characteristics. These powders can be used in their inherent form or consolidated using commercially available techniques for the purpose of manufacturing useful functional components.

Alloys comprised of a refined microstructure, ultrafine or nano scaled, that when reacted with water or any liquid containing water will spontaneously and rapidly produce hydrogen at ambient or elevated temperature are described. These metals, termed here as aluminum based nanogalvanic alloys will have applications that include but are not limited to energy generation on demand. The alloys may be composed of primarily aluminum and other metals e.g. tin bismuth, indium, gallium, lead, etc. and/or carbon, and mixtures and alloys thereof. The alloys may be processed by ball milling for the purpose of synthesizing powder feed stocks, in which each powder particle will have the above mentioned characteristics. These powders can be used in their inherent form or consolidated using commercially available techniques for the purpose of manufacturing useful functional components.

Disclosed herein are various technologies pertinent to rocket engines, including injector, thrust chamber, and electrical turbopump devices that may be combined to provide a highly efficient rocket engine and methods of manufacturing such devices, such as additive manufacturing. The use of additive manufacturing techniques allows for injectors and thrust chambers with complex geometries that provide for more efficient engine operation, including, for example, thrust chambers with varying surface roughness within cooling passages thereof and injectors with multiple annular plenums.

Disclosed herein are various technologies pertinent to rocket engines, including injector, thrust chamber, and electrical turbopump devices that may be combined to provide a highly efficient rocket engine and methods of manufacturing such devices, such as additive manufacturing. The use of additive manufacturing techniques allows for injectors and thrust chambers with complex geometries that provide for more efficient engine operation, including, for example, thrust chambers with varying surface roughness within cooling passages thereof and injectors with multiple annular plenums.

In various embodiments, metallic alloy powders are formed at least in part by spray drying to form agglomerate particles and/or plasma densification to form composite particles.

In various embodiments, metallic alloy powders are utilized as feedstock, or to fabricate feedstock, utilized in additive manufacturing processes to form three-dimensional metallic parts. Such feedstock includes composite particles each comprising a mixture and/or alloy of a first constituent metal and one or more second constituent metals, where each of the particles comprises a plurality of grains each surrounded by a matrix, the grains comprising the first constituent metal, and the matrix comprising the one or more second constituent metals.

Support substrates are used in certain additive fabrication processes to permit processing of an object. For additive fabrication processes with materials that are sintered into a final part, a multi-layer support substrate of interleaved support and interface layers is fabricated to support an object while reducing an impact of friction on shrinkage of the part during the sintering process.

Support substrates are used in certain additive fabrication processes to permit processing of an object. For additive fabrication processes with materials that are sintered into a final part, a multi-layer support substrate of interleaved support and interface layers is fabricated to support an object while reducing an impact of friction on shrinkage of the part during the sintering process.

An additive manufacturing metal paste and a method of additive manufacturing using the metal paste is presented. The metal paste includes a first metal component of a first majority-phase structural metal, the first majority-phase structural metal comprising approximately 75 wt. % to approximately 90 wt. % first metal particles having a particle size of approximately 1 micron to approximately 100 microns. The metal paste further includes a second metal component of a second bonding metal, the second bonding metal comprising approximately 3 wt. % to approximately 10 wt. %, the second metal particles having a particle size of approximately 3 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers. The paste further includes a binder having a weight percentage of approximately 2 wt. % to approximately 15 wt. % wherein the metal paste has a sintering temperature of less than approximately 300 C.

An additive manufacturing metal paste and a method of additive manufacturing using the metal paste is presented. The metal paste includes a first metal component of a first majority-phase structural metal, the first majority-phase structural metal comprising approximately 75 wt. % to approximately 90 wt. % first metal particles having a particle size of approximately 1 micron to approximately 100 microns. The metal paste further includes a second metal component of a second bonding metal, the second bonding metal comprising approximately 3 wt. % to approximately 10 wt. %, the second metal particles having a particle size of approximately 3 nanometers to approximately 100 nanometers. The paste further includes a binder having a weight percentage of approximately 2 wt. % to approximately 15 wt. % wherein the metal paste has a sintering temperature of less than approximately 300 C.