Method and apparatus for heat treating feedstock powder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11090717-B2
Application number	US-201816041420-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 20, 2018
Priority date	Jul 21, 2017
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed are methods and apparatuses for processing a powder alloy to improve its microstructure. The methods for processing the powder alloy can include introducing the powder alloy into a powder vessel having an inert atmosphere, uniformly heat treating the powder alloy inside the powder vessel at its solutionizing temperature, and cooling the heat treated powder alloy at a rate of at least 5° C./s to form treated particles. The treated particles obtained from the methods and apparatuses disclosed herein can be used in any suitable manufacturing process, such as in cold gas dynamic spray.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for processing a powder alloy, the method comprising:
a. uniformly heating the powder alloy by mechanically rotating the powder alloy in an inert atmosphere at its solutionizing temperature,
b. holding the heated powder alloy at the solutionizing temperature for at least 5 minutes to allow complete dissolution of intermetallic fractions present in the powder alloy while simultaneously continuing to mechanically rotate the heated powder alloy, and
c. cooling the heated powder alloy at a rate of at least 25° C./s to form treated particles,
wherein the powder alloy comprises greater than 50% by weight of aluminum, titanium, cobalt, magnesium, iron, nickel, copper, or a combination thereof and wherein an intermetallic volume fraction of the treated particles is reduced by at least 80%, compared to the intermetallic volume fraction of the powder alloy prior to heat treatment.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powder alloy comprises greater than 50% by weight of aluminum.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powder alloy is a 2000 series aluminum alloy, a 6000 series aluminum alloy, a 7000 series aluminum alloy, an alpha-beta titanium alloy, a nickel-based superalloy, a heat treatable magnesium alloy, a cobalt superalloy, a maraging steel, or a copper-beryllium alloy.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the powder alloy is heated at a temperature from 400° C. to 1200° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heated powder alloy is cooled at a rate of at least 50° C./s.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heated powder alloy is cooled at a rate of at least 100° C./s.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repeating steps (a) and (b).

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising milling the treated particles after step (b).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intermetallic volume fraction of the treated particles is less than 1%.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising step c) conducting a manufacturing process using the treated particles.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the manufacturing process is cold gas dynamic spray.

12. The method of claim 1 comprising:
a. uniformly heating a powder aluminum alloy by mechanically rotating the powder aluminum alloy, to a temperature of 550° C. or less in an inert atmosphere, and
b. holding the heated powder aluminum alloy at the temperature in step a, for at least 5 minutes to allow complete dissolution of intermetallic fractions present in the powder aluminum alloy while simultaneously continuing to mechanically rotate the heated powder aluminum alloy; and
c. cooling the heated powder aluminum alloy at a rate of at least 25° C./s to a temperature between 450° C. and 200° C. to form treated particles.

Assignees

• Univ Alabama

Inventors

• Brewer Luke N
• Story William A

Classifications

• B22F1/142 Primary

  Thermal or thermo-mechanical treatment · CPC title

• B05B7/1606

  the spraying of the material involving the use of an atomising fluid, e.g. air (B05B7/168, B05B7/1686, B05B7/20, B05B7/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2219/0027

  Pressure relief · CPC title

• B01J2219/00195

  of the reaction system · CPC title

• B01J2219/00099

  the reactor being immersed in the heat exchange medium · CPC title