Hrl Laboratories, LLC

Other

Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

The Boeing Company

Xtalic Corporation

John Hunter Martin

Brennan D Yahata

Tobias A Schaedler

Jacob Michael Hundley

Adam Franklin Gross

Christopher Stephen Roper

Julie Miller

Alan Jon Jacobsen

Zak C Eckel

Jason A Graetz

Eric C Clough

Randall C Schubert

Robert Mone

Darby Laplant

John J Vajo

William B Carter

Joanna A Kolodziejska

Kenneth Cante

Andrew Paul Nowak

Paul M Najt

Russell P Durrett

Chaoyin Zhou

Robert W Cumberland

Alan C Lund

Phuong Bui

Peter P Andruskiewicz, Iv

Shiyun Ruan

Kayleigh A Porter

Christopher J Ro

Gary P Hill

Witold Paw

Brennon D Yahata

Justin Mayer

Some variations provide a functionalized composite material comprising: a thermoplastic polymer binder matrix disposed in a distinct volume; a plurality of discrete metal or metal alloy particles dispersed in the thermoplastic polymer matrix; and a plurality of discrete particulates assembled on surfaces of the discrete metal or metal alloy particles, wherein the discrete particulates are in contact with the thermoplastic polymer binder matrix, wherein the discrete particulates are smaller than the discrete metal or metal alloy particles in at least one dimension, and wherein the discrete particulates are compositionally different than the discrete metal or metal alloy particles. The discrete particulates may be selected and/or configured to function as a grain refiner, a sintering aid, and/or a strengthening phase, within the functionalized composite material.

Thermoplastic-encapsulated functionalized metal or metal alloy powders

Some variations provide an aluminum (Al) alloy containing at least 0.1 at % zirconium (Zr) and/or at least 0.1 at % chromium (Cr), wherein the aluminum alloy is in the form of an additively manufactured object. Other variations provide an aluminum-containing powder comprising Al particles, Cr particles, and Zr particles, wherein at least some of the Cr particles as well as at least some of the Zr particles are physically and/or chemically assembled on surfaces of the Al particles, and wherein the aluminum-containing powder contains at least 0.1 at % Zr and at least 0.1 at % Cr. In this invention, the combination of surface functionalization and additive manufacturing has fundamentally created a new composition space of valuable aluminum alloys. The disclosed Al alloys are strong, thermally stable, and corrosion-resistant.

Aluminum-chromium-zirconium alloys

Some variations provide a method of making an additively manufactured metal component, comprising: providing a feedstock that includes a high-vapor-pressure metal; exposing a first amount of the feedstock to an energy source for melting; and solidifying the melt layer, thereby generating a solid layer of an additively manufactured metal component. The metal-containing feedstock is enriched with a higher concentration of the high-vapor-pressure metal compared to its concentration in the additively manufactured metal component. The high-vapor-pressure metal may be selected from Mg, Zn, Li, Al, Cd, Hg, K, Na, Rb, Cs, Mn, Be, Ca, Sr, or Ba, for example. Additively manufactured metal components are provided. Metal-containing feedstocks for additive manufacturing are also disclosed, wherein concentration of at least one high-vapor-pressure metal in the feedstock is selected based on a desired concentration of the high-vapor-pressure metal in an additively manufactured metal component derived from the metal-containing feedstock. Various feedstock compositions are disclosed.

Feedstocks for additive manufacturing, and methods of using the same

Some variations provide a method of making a nanofunctionalized metal powder, comprising: providing metal particles containing metals selected from iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; providing nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, or titanium; disposing the nanoparticles onto surfaces of the metal particles, in the presence of mixing media, thereby generating nanofunctionalized metal particles; and isolating and recovering the nanofunctionalized metal particles as a nanofunctionalized metal powder. Some variations provide a composition comprising a nanofunctionalized metal powder, the composition comprising metal particles and nanoparticles containing one or more elements selected from the group consisting of zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, and oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, or combinations of the foregoing.

Methods for nanofunctionalization of powders, and nanofunctionalized materials produced therefrom

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.

Additive manufacturing with nanofunctionalized precursors

Some variations provide a system for producing a functionalized powder, comprising: an agitated pressure vessel; first particles and second particles contained within the agitated pressure vessel; a fluid contained within the agitated pressure vessel; an exhaust line for releasing the fluid from the agitated pressure vessel; and a means for recovering a functionalized powder containing the second particles disposed onto surfaces of the first particles. A preferred fluid is carbon dioxide in liquefied or supercritical form. The carbon dioxide may be initially loaded into the pressure vessel as solid carbon dioxide. The pressure vessel may be batch or continuous and is operated under reaction conditions to functionalize the first particles with the second particles, thereby producing a functionalized powder, such as nanofunctionalized metal particles in which nanoparticles act as grain refiners for a component ultimately produced from the nanofunctionalized metal particles. Methods for making the functionalized powder are also disclosed.

Systems and methods for nanofunctionalization of powders

This disclosure provides an improvement over the state of the art by teaching a low-cost method to produce feedstock powder, without undergoing a phase change, from industrially relevant wrought alloys that are widely available at low cost. The surfaces of aspherical particles are functionalized with particulates having a different size and composition than the particles, to control the solidification response of the feedstock. Some variations provide a metal-containing functionalized material comprising: a plurality of aspherical particles comprising a metal or a metal alloy; and a plurality of metal-containing or ceramic particulates that are assembled on surfaces of the aspherical particles, wherein the particulates are compositionally different than the aspherical particles. Methods of making and using the metal-containing functionalized materials are described. The invention provides an economic advantage over traditional gas-atomized or water-atomized metal powder feedstocks for powder-based metal additive manufacturing or other powder metallurgy processes.

Functionalized aspherical powder feedstocks and methods of making the same

Some variations provide an additively manufactured article comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is a solid region or a porous region, wherein the second region has a pore size larger than the first-region pore size, and wherein the first-region average permeability is lower than the second-region average permeability. Some variations provide a co-sintering method of making an architected material with regions having different permeabilities, in which different additive-manufacturing process parameters are applied to distinct regions of the structure. Other variations provide a wall-pinning method of making an architected material with regions having different permeabilities, in which additive-manufacturing process parameters are selected to sinter pinned feedstock powder between solid walls. Engineered structures with controlled permeability, integrated manifolds, and arbitrary geometries are disclosed, without the requirement of complex manufacturing. Many uses are described for the disclosed additively manufactured articles.

Architected materials with controlled permeability and methods for making and using the same

Some variations provide a method of making an additively manufactured single-crystal metallic component, comprising: providing a feedstock comprising a first metal or metal alloy; providing a build plate comprising a single crystal of a second metal or metal alloy; exposing the feedstock to an energy source for melting the feedstock, generating a melt layer on the build plate; and solidifying the melt layer, generating a solid layer (on the build plate) of a metal component. The solid layer is also a single crystal of the first metal or metal alloy. The method may be repeated many times to build the part. Some variations provide a single-crystal metallic component comprising a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction, wherein the plurality of solid layers forms a single crystal of a metal or metal alloy with a continuous crystallographic texture. The crystal orientation may vary along the additive-manufacturing build direction.

Additively manufactured single-crystal metallic components, and methods for producing the same

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.

Formulations with active functional additives for 3D printing of preceramic polymers, and methods of 3D-printing the formulations

Some variations provide a metal-alloy biphasic system containing a first metal Mand a second metal M, wherein a second metal phase has a melting temperature lower than that of a first metal phase, and wherein the metal-alloy biphasic system has a hierarchical microstructure containing a second length scale that is at least one order of magnitude smaller than a first length scale. Some variations provide a metal-alloy biphasic system containing a first metal Mand a second metal M, wherein a second metal phase has a melting temperature lower than that of a first metal phase, and wherein the first metal phase forms a continuous network. Other variations provide a metal-alloy biphasic powder containing at least a first metal and a second metal, wherein the solubility of first metal in second metal is less than 5%. Methods of making and using the powders and biphasic system are disclosed.

Metal-alloy biphasic systems, and powders and methods for making metal-alloy biphasic systems

A thin-walled metal part, and a method to fabricate such a part out of various alloys. A plurality of layers are formed, each of the layers being formed on a polymer template or on a previously formed layer. A homogenizing heat treatment is used to cause chemical elements in the layers to interdiffuse, to form a single continuous layer with a substantially uniform alloy composition.

Thin-walled high temperature alloy structures via multi-material additive manufacturing

Some variations provide an additively manufactured metal-containing component comprising (i) nickel, (ii) aluminum and/or titanium, and (iii) nanoparticles, wherein the sum of aluminum weight percentage and one-half of titanium weight percentage is at least 3 on a nanoparticle-free basis, and wherein the additively manufactured metal-containing component has a microstructure that is substantially crack-free with equiaxed grains. A feedstock composition is also provided, comprising metal-containing microparticles and nanoparticles, wherein the nanoparticles are chemically and/or physically disposed on surfaces of the microparticles, wherein the microparticles comprise (i) nickel and (ii) aluminum and/or titanium, and wherein the sum of aluminum weight percentage and one-half of titanium weight percentage is at least 3 on a nanoparticle-free basis. The nanoparticles may be selected from metals; ceramics; cermets; intermetallic alloys; oxides, carbides, nitrides, borides, or hydrides thereof; polymers; and/or carbon. Successful nanofunctionalization of MAR-M-247 nickel superalloy is demonstrated, creating a crack-free additively manufactured microstructure.

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Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

John Hunter Martin