METHOD OF FABRICATING METAL- AND CERAMIC- MATRIX COMPOSITES AND FUNCTIONALIZED TEXTILES

• US 20090250844A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Los Alamos National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Chavez, Craig A., Black, Marcie R., Maxwell, James L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,157,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/497
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/38 Housings, e.g. machine housings
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 9/30 with decomposition of metal compounds, e.g. by pyrolysis
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/00 Producing shaped prefabricated articles from the material using presses B28B3/00; shaping on moving conveyors B28B5/00; producing tubular articles B28B21/00 ; producing articles with embedded elements B28B23/00
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/08 by wave energy or particle radiation B29C64/00, B29C71/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 47/00 Making alloys containing metallic or non-metallic fibres or filaments
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an article comprises providing a first sheet, wetting the first sheet with a liquid precursor to provide a first wet sheet, and irradiating the first wet sheet in a pattern corresponding to a first cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid in the first cross section. A second sheet is disposed adjacent to the first sheet. The method further comprises wetting the second sheet with the liquid precursor to provide a second wet sheet, and irradiating the second wet sheet in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid in the second cross section. In particular the liquid precursor may be converted to a metal, ceramic, semiconductor, semimetal, or a combination of these materials.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an article comprising:

providing a first sheet in a chamber;

wetting the first sheet with a liquid precursor to provide a first wet sheet;

pressurizing the chamber;

irradiating the first wet sheet in the pressurized chamber, in a pattern corresponding to a first cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid material in the first cross section;

providing a second sheet disposed adjacent to the first sheet;

wetting the second sheet with the liquid precursor to provide a second wet sheet;

irradiating the second wet sheet in the pressurized chamber, in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid material in the second cross section;

wherein at least a portion of one of the solid in the first cross section or the solid in the second cross section extends into the other of the first cross section or the second cross section, thereby coupling the first cross section to the second cross section.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet comprise the same material.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sheet or the second sheet comprise a porous material, a fibrous material of natural or synthetic fibers, or a woven textile.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquid precursor comprises an organometallic halide.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the steps of irradiating the first sheet and irradiating the second sheet include irradiating the first and second sheets with a laser beam such that the liquid precursor is at least partially converted to a solid and the solid grows generally within the laser beam in a direction away from the sheet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of wetting the first sheet and wetting the second sheet comprise spraying the first sheet and the second sheet with the liquid precursor.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of removing excess sheet material adjacent to the first and second cross sections.

8. A method of manufacturing an article comprising:

providing a first sheet in a chamber;

pressurizing the chamber;

wetting the first sheet with a first liquid precursor to provide a first wet sheet;

irradiating the first wet sheet in the pressurized chamber with a laser in a pattern such that the first liquid precursor is at least partially decomposed such that a solid is deposited in the pattern

wherein the liquid precursor comprises an organometallic precursor.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

providing a second sheet disposed adjacent to the first sheet;

wetting the second sheet with a second liquid precursor to provide a second wet sheet;

irradiating the second wet sheet with a laser in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the second liquid precursor is at least partially decomposed such that a solid is deposited in the second cross section; and

wherein the pattern irradiated on the first wet sheet corresponds to a first cross section of the article;

10. The method of claim 9, wherein at least a portion of one of the solid in the first cross section or the solid in the second cross section extends into the other of the first cross section or the second cross section, thereby coupling the first cross section to the second cross section.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the first and second liquid precursor comprise the same material.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein, one or both of the first and second liquid precursors comprises a plurality of liquid precursors such that the solid deposited in one or both of the first and second cross sections comprises more than one material.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sheet and the second sheet comprise the same material.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sheet or the second sheet comprise a porous material, a fibrous material of natural or synthetic fibers, or a woven textile.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the liquid precursors comprise one or more metal-halides, one or more organometalics, or mixtures thereof.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of irradiating the first sheet includes irradiating the first sheet with a laser beam such that the liquid metal precursor is at least partially converted to a solid metal and the solid grows generally within the laser beam in a direction away from the sheet and to a length greater than the thickness of the first sheet.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the steps of wetting the first sheet and wetting the second sheet comprise spraying the first sheet and the second sheet with the liquid metal precursor.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of removing excess sheet material adjacent to the first and second cross sections.

19. An article manufactured according to the method of claim 9.

20. An automated method of manufacturing an article comprising:

providing a first sheet comprising a fibrous or porous material in a chamber;

pressurizing the chamber;

wetting the first sheet with a first liquid metal precursor to provide a first wet sheet;

irradiating the first wet sheet in the pressurized chamber with a laser in a pattern corresponding to a first cross section of the article such that the first liquid metal precursor is at least partially decomposed such that a solid metal is deposited in the first cross section, wherein the laser is computer controlled and the cross section is defined by data from a computer assisted design program;

providing a second sheet disposed adjacent to the first sheet;

wetting the second sheet with a second liquid metal precursor to provide a second wet sheet;

irradiating the second wet sheet in the pressurized chamber with a laser in a pattern corresponding to a second cross section of the article such that the second liquid metal precursor is at least partially decomposed such that a solid metal is deposited in the second cross section;

wherein at least a portion of one of the solid in the first cross section or the solid in the second cross section forms a structure having a length greater than a thickness of both the first sheet and the second sheet, and extends into the other of the first cross section or the second cross section, thereby coupling the first cross section to the second cross section.