Methods for producing forged products and other worked products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9296036-B2
Application number	US-201414327218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Jul 10, 2013
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

Methods for producing forged products and other worked products are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method comprises using additive manufacturing to produce a metal shaped-preform and, after the using step, forging the metal shaped-preform into a final forged product. The final forged product may optionally be annealed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method compromising:
(a) using additive manufacturing to produce a metal shaped-preform, wherein the metal shaped-preform comprises a titanium alloy, wherein the additive manufacturing comprises:
depositing layers of a first material on an upper side of a building substrate; and
depositing layers of a second material on a opposing lower side of the building substrate;
wherein at least one of the first material, the second material, and the building substrate comprises the titanium alloy;
(b) after the using step (a), forging the metal shaped-preform, with the building substrate therein, into a final forged product having the building substrate therein.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forging step comprises a single die forging step, wherein the single die forging step is using a single blocker die to die forge the metal-shaped preform into the final forged product.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first material, the second material, or the building substrate of the metal shaped-preform comprises titanium aluminide.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the forging step comprises:
heating the metal shaped-preform to a stock temperature; and
contacting the metal shaped-preform with a forging die, wherein, when the contacting step is initiated, the forging die is a temperature that is at least 10° F. lower than the stock temperature.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the final forged product is a blade for a jet engine.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the titanium alloy includes at least 50 wt. % Ti and at least one titanium aluminide phase, wherein the at least one titanium aluminide phase is selected from the group consisting of Ti 3 Al, TiAl and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the titanium alloy includes 5-30 wt. % aluminum, and the titanium alloy comprises at least some Ti 3 Al.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the titanium alloy is a Ti-6Al-4V alloy.

9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the contacting step comprises applying sufficient force to the metal shaped-preform via the forging die to realize a true strain of from 0.05 to 1.10 in the metal shaped-preform.

10. The method of claim 1 comprising,
after the forging step (b), annealing the final forged product.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first material, the second material, or the building substrate of the metal shaped-preform comprises a Ti-6Al-4V alloy, and wherein the annealing step comprises heating the final forged product to a temperature of from 640° C. to 816° C.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the annealing step comprises heating the final forged product to a temperature of from 670° C. to 750° C.

13. The method of claim 1 , comprising:
prior to the using step, designing the shape of the building substrate such that, after the forging step, the building substrate is located in a predetermined area of low strain of the final forged product.

Assignees

• Alcoa Inc

Inventors

• Bush Dustin M
• Roegner Eric V
• Colvin Edward L
• Mueller Larry N
• Rioja Roberto J
• Bodily Brandon Hendrickson

Classifications

• B22F10/66

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• B22F10/64

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

• B22F10/28

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

• B21J1/06

  Heating or cooling methods or arrangements specially adapted for performing forging or pressing operations {(B21J5/063 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B23P15/02

  turbine or like blades from one piece · CPC title