September 2025 Metallurgy Blog
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September 2, 2025
UT and Mississippi State Researchers Develop Next-Gen Navy Steel
UT and Mississippi State Researchers Develop Next-Gen Navy Steel
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in partnership with Mississippi State University, has secured a $5 million research award aimed at reinventing how the U.S. develops steel for naval defense. After decades of relying on overseas production, this project marks a return to building military-grade steel domestically, strengthening both manufacturing capacity and national security.
The initiative is led by Eric Lass from UT’s Tickle College of Engineering, working alongside Dayakar Penumadu and Bradley Jared. Their expertise spans metallurgy, civil engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Together, they are tackling three fronts: designing new high-performance steel compositions, improving welding technologies, and applying wire arc additive manufacturing to large naval components.
The project begins with material testing on the UT and Mississippi State campuses, gradually scaling up to full production at the Rapid Applied Materials Processing (RAMP) lab on Navy property in Memphis. Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be pivotal, especially in advancing wire production techniques and validating multipass welding for thick steel structures.
The work is structured over three years: early phases emphasize welding and additive manufacturing trials, followed by developing novel wire formulations, and culminating in joining full plates of the new steels. Mississippi State will contribute by designing lighter yet stronger steel plates and applying data-driven insights to accelerate progress.
“This effort breathes new life into metallurgy, a field often overshadowed in today’s manufacturing conversations,” said Lass. “By coupling modern additive methods with steel innovation, we’re not just advancing naval technology—we’re shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing.” Learn more here.
The initiative is led by Eric Lass from UT’s Tickle College of Engineering, working alongside Dayakar Penumadu and Bradley Jared. Their expertise spans metallurgy, civil engineering, and advanced manufacturing. Together, they are tackling three fronts: designing new high-performance steel compositions, improving welding technologies, and applying wire arc additive manufacturing to large naval components.
The project begins with material testing on the UT and Mississippi State campuses, gradually scaling up to full production at the Rapid Applied Materials Processing (RAMP) lab on Navy property in Memphis. Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory will be pivotal, especially in advancing wire production techniques and validating multipass welding for thick steel structures.
The work is structured over three years: early phases emphasize welding and additive manufacturing trials, followed by developing novel wire formulations, and culminating in joining full plates of the new steels. Mississippi State will contribute by designing lighter yet stronger steel plates and applying data-driven insights to accelerate progress.
“This effort breathes new life into metallurgy, a field often overshadowed in today’s manufacturing conversations,” said Lass. “By coupling modern additive methods with steel innovation, we’re not just advancing naval technology—we’re shaping the future of U.S. manufacturing.” Learn more here.
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