Additive manufacturing of ultra-high-temperature ceramics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025387835-A1
Application number	US-202318847731-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 3, 2023
Priority date	Mar 18, 2022
Publication date	Dec 25, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method for additive manufacturing (AM) a carbide body includes producing a feedstock comprising a metallic powder and a binder material. The method also includes laser sintering the feedstock in a laser sintering machine in a presence of an inert gas to produce a green body. The method also includes converting the green body into the carbide body in a furnace in a presence of a flowing alkane gas.

First claim

1 . A method for additive manufacturing (AM) a carbide body, the method comprising:
producing a feedstock comprising a metallic powder and a binder material; laser sintering the feedstock in a laser sintering machine in a presence of an inert gas to produce a green body; and converting the green body into the carbide body in a furnace in a presence of a flowing alkane gas.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder comprises hafnium, zirconium, tantalum, titanium, chromium, iron, vandium, niobium, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, or a combination thereof, and wherein the binder material comprises an organic resin.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder comprises from about 50 wt % to about 95 wt % of the feedstock, and wherein the binder material comprises from about 5 wt % to about 50 wt % of the feedstock.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the metallic powder comprises particles having an average diameter ranging from about 5 pam to about 100 μm.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the feedstock is laser sintered to above a melting point of the binder material but below a melting point of the metallic powder.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conversion comprises an ex-situ isothermal gas-solid conversion.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the alkane gas comprises methane having a flowrate from about 5 SCCM to about 10 L/min, and wherein the alkane gas has a composition from about 1 vol % to about 100 vol %.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the conversation takes place at a temperature from about 700° C. to about 1200° C. for a duration from about 0.1 hours to about 20 hours.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbide body comprises a refractory transition metal carbide body.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the carbide body comprises an ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) body.

11 . A method for additive manufacturing (AM) an ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) body or transition metal carbide body, the method comprising:
producing a feedstock, wherein the feedstock comprises a metallic powder and a binder material, wherein the metallic powder comprises from about 60 wt % to about 90 wt % of the feedstock, wherein the metallic powder comprises particles having an average diameter ranging from about 10 m to about 1000 pam, wherein the binder material comprises from about 10 wt % to about 40 wt % of the feedstock, and wherein the binder material comprises a resin; laser sintering the feedstock to produce a green body, wherein the feedstock is laser sintered in a laser sintering machine in a presence of an inert gas, and wherein the feedstock is laser sintered to above a melting point of the binder material but below a melting point of the metallic powder; and converting the green body into the UHTC body or transition metal carbide body, wherein the conversion comprises an ex-situ isothermal gas-solid conversion, wherein the conversion takes place in a furnace in a presence of a flowing alkane gas, wherein the alkane gas has a flowrate from about 10 SCCM to about 5 L/min, wherein the alkane gas has a composition from about 5 vol % to about 100 vol %, and wherein the conversation takes place at a temperature from about 800° C. to about 1100° C. for a duration from about 0.5 hours to about 15 hours.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the metallic powder comprises a transition metal, and wherein the inert gas comprises argon, nitrogen, or both.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the green body comprises a plurality of deposited layers of the feedstock, and wherein each deposited layer has a height from about 10 μm to about 250 μm.

14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein a net dimensional volume change from the conversion of the green body into the UHTC body or transition metal carbide body is from 0 vol % to 80 vol %.

15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein a porosity of the UHTC body or transition metal carbide body is from 0 vol % to 95 vol %.

16 . A method for additive manufacturing (AM) an ultra-high-temperature ceramic (UHTC) body, the method comprising:
producing a feedstock, wherein the feedstock comprises a metallic powder and a binder material, wherein the metallic powder comprises from about 65 wt % to about 85 wt % of the feedstock, wherein the metallic powder comprises a transition metal, wherein the metallic powder comprises particles having an average diameter ranging from about 20 μm to about 60 μm, wherein the binder material comprises from about 15 wt % to about 35 wt % of the feedstock, and wherein the binder material comprises a resin; laser sintering the feedstock to produce a green body, wherein the feedstock is laser sintered in a laser sintering machine in a presence of an inert gas, wherein the inert gas comprises argon, nitrogen, or both, wherein the feedstock is laser sintered with a scan speed from about 1 mm/s to about 10 m/s, wherein the feedstock is laser sintered to above a melting point of the binder material but below a melting point of the metallic powder, wherein the green body comprises a plurality of deposited layers of the feedstock, and wherein each deposited layer has a height from about 10 μm to about 250 μm; and converting the green body into the UHTC body, wherein the conversion comprises an ex-situ isothermal gas-solid conversion, wherein the conversion takes place in a furnace in a presence of a flowing methane, wherein the methane has a flowrate from about 50 SCCM to about 10 L/min, wherein the methane has a composition from about 10 vol % to about 100 vol %, and wherein the conversation takes place at a temperature from about 900° C. to about 1000° C. for a duration from about 1 hour to about 10 hours.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the transition metal comprises hafnium, zirconium, tantalum, titanium, chromium, iron, vandium, niobium, cobalt, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, or a combination thereof, wherein the resin comprises a phenolic resin, a carbonaceous resin, or both, wherein the green body comprises a cube, a lattice, or both, and wherein the UHTC body comprises a metallic carbide lattice.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a net dimensional volume change from the conversion of the green body into the UHTC body is from 0 vol % to 80 vol %.

19 . The method of claim 16 , wherein a porosity of the UHTC body is from 0 vol % to 95 vol %.

20 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising varying the composition, the temperature, the duration, or a combination thereof to cause a volume of the UHTC body, a stoichiometry of the UHTC body, a chemistry of the UHTC body, a porosity of the UHTC body, or a combination thereof to vary.

Assignees

• Univ Johns Hopkins

Inventors

• Peters Adam B
• Zhang Dajie
• Nagle Dennis
• Spicer James B

Classifications

• B28B1/001

  Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00) · CPC title

• B22F2999/00

  Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy · CPC title

• B22F2998/10

  Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps · CPC title

• B22F2304/10

  Micron size particles, i.e. above 1 micrometer up to 500 micrometer · CPC title

• B22F2301/205

  Titanium, zirconium or hafnium · CPC title