Additive manufacturing with nanofunctionalized precursors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018214949-A1
Application number	US-201815880488-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 25, 2018
Priority date	Feb 1, 2017
Publication date	Aug 2, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Some variations provide a process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, comprising: providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; exposing a first amount of the nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting the precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; solidifying the first melt layer, thereby generating a first solid layer; and repeating many times to generate a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction. The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains. Other variations provide an additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising metals selected from aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; and grain-refining nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, or oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, wherein the additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, said process comprising:
(a) providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing one or more metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; (b) exposing a first amount of said nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting said first amount of said nanofunctionalized metal precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; and (c) solidifying said first melt layer, thereby generating a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

2 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said one or more metals are selected from the group consisting of aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, lead, and combinations thereof.

3 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said one or more nanoparticle elements are selected from the group consisting of zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, and oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, and combinations of the foregoing.

4 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said nanofunctionalized metal precursor is in the form of a powder.

5 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said nanofunctionalized metal precursor is in the form of a wire.

6 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are present in a nanoparticle concentration of at least 0.1 vol % within said nanofunctionalized metal precursor.

7 . The process of claim 6 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are present in a nanoparticle concentration of at least 1 vol % within said nanofunctionalized metal precursor.

8 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles have an average largest dimension from about 50 nanometers to about 5000 nanometers.

9 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said energy source is provided by a laser beam, an electron beam, or a combination thereof.

10 . The process of claim 1 , wherein steps (b) and (c) utilize a technique selected from the group consisting of selective laser melting, electron beam melting, laser engineered net shaping, selective laser sintering, direct metal laser sintering, integrated laser melting with machining, laser powder injection, laser consolidation, direct metal deposition, wire-directed energy deposition, plasma arc-based fabrication, ultrasonic consolidation, and combinations thereof.

11 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy is characterized by an average grain size of less than 1 millimeter.

12 . The process of claim 11 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy is characterized by an average grain size of less than 10 microns.

13 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with a crystallographic texture that is not solely oriented in said additive-manufacturing build direction.

16 . The process of claim 1 , said process further comprising repeating steps (b) and (c) a plurality of times to generate a plurality of solid layers by sequentially solidifying a plurality of melt layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction.

17 . The process of claim 16 , wherein said plurality of solid layers have differing primary growth-direction angles with respect to each other.

18 . The process of claim 16 , wherein said plurality of solid layers has an average layer thickness of at least 10 microns.

19 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy is selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy, a steel alloy, a nickel alloy, a titanium alloy, a copper alloy, and combinations thereof.

20 . The process of claim 1 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure that is substantially crack-free.

21 . An additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising one or more metals and grain-refining nanoparticles containing one or more nanoparticle elements, wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

22 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said one or more metals are selected from the group consisting of aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, lead, and combinations thereof

23 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said one or more nanoparticle elements are selected from the group consisting of zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, and oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, and combinations of the foregoing.

24 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are present in a nanoparticle concentration of at least 0.01 vol %.

25 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 22 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are present in a nanoparticle concentration of at least 0.1 vol %.

26 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 25 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are present in a nanoparticle concentration of at least 1 vol %.

27 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles have an average largest dimension from about 50 nanometers to about 5000 nanometers.

28 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of Al 3 Zr, Al 3 Ta, Al 3 Nb, Al 3 Ti, TiB, TiB 2 , WC, AlB, and combinations thereof.

29 . The nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprises inclusions that contain both (i) at least one of said one or more metals and (ii) at least one of said one or more nanoparticle elements.

30 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are lattice-matched to within ±5% compared to a metal alloy containing said one or more metals but not said grain-refining nanoparticles.

31 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 30 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are lattice-matched to within ±0.5% compared to a metal alloy containing said one or more metals but not said grain-refining nanoparticles.

32 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 21 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are atomic density-matched to within ±25% compared to a metal alloy containing said one or more metals but not said grain-refining nanoparticles.

33 . The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy of claim 32 , wherein said grain-refining nanoparticles are atomic density-matched to within ±5% compared to a metal alloy containing said one or more metals but not said grain-refining nanoparticles.

34 . The additive

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Martin John H
• Yahata Brennan
• Schaedler Tobias A
• Hundley Jacob M

Classifications

• B22F10/64

  by thermal means (control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364) · CPC title

• B22F10/68

  Cleaning or washing · CPC title

• B22F10/32

  of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber · CPC title

• B22F10/36

  of energy beam parameters · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title