In-Situ Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Alloys: Effect of Process Parameters on Microstructure Formation

• Grant number: 24/15056-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Support Program for Fixating Young Doctors
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Physical Metallurgy
• Principal Investigator: Rubens Caram Junior
• Grantee: Rodolfo da Silva Teixeira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 24/02100-7 - In-Situ Additive Manufacturing of Titanium Alloys: Effect of Process Parameters on Microstructure Formation, AP.R

Abstract

The laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing technique by usually depends on pre-alloyed metallic powders, with control of composition, morphology, and particle size which are obtained by sophisticated atomization techniques. In-situ metallic alloy formation in L-PBF processing is an interesting alternative and eliminates the need for high-cost pre-alloyed powders, but it is challenging when dealing with alloying elements with very different melting points. A critical aspect is obtaining microstructural homogeneity, without the presence of unmolten particles and heterogeneous distribution of alloying elements. This study aims to develop a processing route using L-PBF that allows the in-situ processing of elemental Ti, Nb, and Sn powders with Ti-30Nb-4Sn composition. This objective involves the selection of process parameters that allow obtaining homogeneous samples in terms of composition, with a reduced fraction of undissolved particles of elementary powder and a reduced level of porosity. Another objective is evaluating crystallographic texture formation as a function of process parameters in additive manufacturing. The samples will be characterized in terms of microstructure, thermal stability, and mechanical behavior.