Directed energy deposition (DED) was used to produce niobium carbide (NbC)‐reinforced Ti6Al4V (Ti64) metal–matrix‐composite (MMC) structures. The objective was to improve upon Ti64's wear and oxidation resistance. The characterization techniques consisted of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), backscattered electron (BSE) imaging, energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS), X‐ray diffraction analysis (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Vickers micro‐ and nanoindentation‐derived hardness, as well as tribological testing at varying normal loads. DED produced compositions were of Ti64, Ti64 + 5 wt.% NbC (5NbC), and Ti64 + 10 wt.% NbC (10NbC). Electron micrographs revealed crack‐ and delamination‐free structures. Tribological analysis revealed a 25.1% reduction in specific wear rate. XRD and EDS results indicated the presence of a Ti‐Nb solid solution. It was deduced that the NbC particles coupled with the Ti‐Nb solid solution aided in increasing Ti64's resistance to plastic shear as the superficial microstructure remained unchanged compared to pure Ti64. Additionally, TGA displayed a reduction in total oxidation mass gain and suppressed oxidation kinetics to parabolic behavior with increased NbC. Application‐based composite structures with site‐specific mechanical properties were fabricated in the form of a composite cylinder, gear and compositionally graded cylinder. The graded cylinder displayed a 0%–45%NbC presence—end‐to‐end—equating to a hardness increase from 161.6 ± 4.0HV0.2to 1055.9 ± 157.4HV0.2.
Additive manufacturing of alumina-silica reinforced Ti6Al4V for articulating surfaces of load-bearing implants
In this study, functional gradation via layer-wise additive manufacturing was coupled with Al2O3 and SiO2 ceramics' advantages to creating a composite of Ti6Al4V (Ti64) with improved hardness and wear resistance. It was hypothesized that with the addition of Al2O3 and SiO2 into Ti64, wear-resistance and hardness would increase when compared to the base Ti64 alloy. It was also hypothesized that if the structure could be created, an additional laser pass (LP) over the structure's top surface would further increase the hardness. Successfully fabricated composite structures were found to have varying phases of TiSi2 and Ti5Si3. Refined α-Ti grains were present in the composite region. The interface between the composite and pure Ti64 regions was crack-free, indicating a metallurgically sound bond. Dendritic microstructures were observed with the addition of LP on the composite top surface. Hardness was increased from 323.8 ± 9.6 HV in Ti64 substrate to 434.7 ± 7.3 HV and 677.1 ± 29.7 HV in 3D Printed Ti64 and the composite sample, respectively. An LP increased hardness further to 938.8 ± 57.5 HV, a 186% increase in hardness than the original Ti64 alloy. Wear resistance was also increased with the addition of Al2O3 and SiO2 by ~90%, indicating the potential processing variations placed on this material system to produce structures with site-specific functionality for biomedical applications, particularly in articulating surfaces of load-bearing implants.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1934230
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10282727
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Ceramics international
- Volume:
- 47
- Issue:
- 13
- ISSN:
- 0272-8842
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 18875-18885
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract In order to investigate the in‐space in situ resource utilization, directed energy deposition (DED)‐based additive manufacturing (AM) has been utilized to process Martian regolith—Ti6Al4V (Ti64) composites. Here we investigated the processability of depositing 5, 10, and 100 wt% of Martian regolith premixed with Ti6Al4V using laser‐based DED, analyzing the printed structure via X‐ray diffraction, Vicker's microhardness, scanning electron microscopic imaging, and wear characteristics utilizing an abrasive water jet cutter to simulate abrasive environments on the Martian surface. The results indicate that the surface roughness and hardness of the composites increase with respect to the Martian regolith’ weight percentage due to in situ ceramic reinforcement. For instance, i5‐wt% addition of Martian regolith increased the Vicker's microhardness from 366 ± 6 HV0.2for as‐printed Ti64 to 730 ± 27 HV0.2while maintaining similar abrasive wear performance as Ti6Al4V. The results point toward laser‐based AM for fabricating Ti64—Martian regolith composites with comparable properties. The study also reveals promising results in limiting the mass burden for future space missions, resulting in cheaper and easier launches.
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Abstract In this research, a room temperature multicycle nanoindentation technique was implemented to evaluate the effects of the laser peening (LP) process on the surface mechanical behavior of additively manufactured (AM) Inconel 625. Repetitive deformation was introduced by loading-unloading during an instrumented nanoindentation test on the as-built (No LP), 1-layer, and 4-layer laser peened (1LP and 4LP) conditions. It was observed that laser-peened specimens had a significantly higher resistance to penetration of the indenter and lower permanent deformation. This is attributed to the pre-existing dislocation density induced by LP in the material which affects the dislocation interactions during the cyclic indentation. Moreover, high levels of compressive stresses, which are greater in the 4LP specimen than the 1LP specimen, lead to more effective improvement of surface fatigue properties. The transition of the material response from elastic-plastic to almost purely elastic in 4LP specimens was initiated much earlier than it did in the No LP, and 1LP specimens. In addition to the surface fatigue properties, hardness and elastic modulus were also evaluated and compared.more » « less
- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2021.03.227
