In Situ Wire + Powder Synchronous Arc Additive Manufacturing of Ti-Cu Alloys

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Metallurgy
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Titanium-Copper (Ti-Cu) alloys are of interest for various applications.
• Additive manufacturing offers potential for creating complex alloy structures.
• Controlling microstructure and properties during alloy fabrication is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the manufacturing of Ti-Cu alloys using a wire + powder synchronous arc additive manufacturing technique.
• To characterize the microstructure and properties of the as-fabricated Ti-Cu alloys.
• To understand the role of copper in influencing the alloy's solidification behavior and properties.

Main Methods:

• Wire + powder synchronous arc additive manufacturing.
• Microstructural analysis (e.g., optical microscopy, electron microscopy).
• Mechanical property testing.
• Corrosion performance evaluation.

Main Results:

• Successful fabrication of Ti-Cu alloys using the novel additive manufacturing technique.
• The addition of Copper (Cu) increases the constitutional supercooling zone, counteracting high thermal gradients.
• As-printed Ti-Cu alloys exhibit an equiaxed fine-grained microstructure.
• Copper enhances the compactness of the passivation film, leading to improved corrosion resistance.

Conclusions:

• The wire + powder synchronous arc additive manufacturing technique is effective for producing Ti-Cu alloys.
• Copper addition plays a critical role in refining the microstructure and enhancing the properties of Ti-Cu alloys.
• The fabricated Ti-Cu alloys demonstrate superior corrosion resistance due to improved passivation film formation.