POWDER METAL WITH ATTACHED CERAMIC NANOPARTICLES

• US 20170368602A1
• Filed: 08/16/2017
• Published: 12/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rtx Corporation
• Original Assignee: United Technologies Corporation (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: She, Ying, Sharon, John A., Beals, James T., Nardi, Aaron T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,493,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/102 Metallic powder coated with organic material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/142 Thermal or thermo-mechanical treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/145 Chemical treatment, e.g. passivation or decarburisation
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/16 Metallic particles coated with a non-metal coated with lubricating or binding agents or with organic material B22F1/10
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0086 welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0093 characterised by the properties of the materials to be welded
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/02 Iron or ferrous alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/08 Non-ferrous metals or alloys
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/10 Aluminium or alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/14 Titanium or alloys thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/52 Ceramics
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0006 taking account of the properties of the material involved B23K26/32, B23K26/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: C22C 32/0015 with only single oxides as main non-metallic constituents
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A method for processing a powder material includes feeding a powder material through an additive processing machine to deposit multiple layers of the powder material onto one another and using an energy beam to thermally fuse selected portions of the layers to one another with reference to data relating to a particular cross-section of an article being formed. The powder material has spherical metal particles and a spaced-apart distribution of ceramic nanoparticles attached to the surfaces of the particles. The ceramic nanoparticles form a dispersion of reinforcement through the formed article.

Claims

1. A method for processing a powder material, the method comprising:

feeding a powder material through an additive processing machine to deposit multiple layers of the powder material onto one another, the powder material having spherical metal particles and a spaced-apart distribution of ceramic nanoparticles attached to the surfaces of the particles; and

using an energy beam to thermally fuse selected portions of the layers to one another with reference to data relating to a particular cross-section of an article being formed, the ceramic nanoparticles forming a dispersion of reinforcement through the formed article.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, and combinations thereof.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are oxide nanoparticles.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are zirconium oxide nanoparticles.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the powder material has a composition, by weight, of 0.1-5% of the ceramic nanoparticles.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the spherical metal particles are selected from the group consisting of nickel, chromium, aluminum, titanium, iron, and combinations thereof.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the spherical metal particles are nickel-based particles and include chromium.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are zirconium oxide nanoparticles and the powder material has a composition, by weight, of 0.1-5% of the ceramic nanoparticles.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the spherical metal particles are selected from the group consisting of nickel, chromium, aluminum, titanium, iron, and combinations thereof.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the spherical metal particles are nickel-based particles and include chromium.

11. A powder material comprising:

spherical metal particles; and

a spaced-apart distribution of ceramic nanoparticles attached to the surfaces of the particles.

12. The powder material as recited in claim 11, wherein the spherical metal particles are selected from the group consisting of nickel, chromium, and combinations thereof.

13. The powder material as recited in claim 11, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of oxides, nitrides, carbides, and combinations thereof, and the powder material has a composition, by weight, of 0.1-5% of the ceramic nanoparticles.

14. The powder material as recited in claim 11, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are oxide nanoparticles.

15. The powder material as recited in claim 11, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are zirconium oxide nanoparticles.

16. The powder material as recited in claim 11, wherein the spherical metal particles are nickel-based particles and include chromium.

17. The powder material as recited in claim 16, wherein the ceramic nanoparticles are zirconium oxide nanoparticles.

18. The powder material as recited in claim 17, wherein the powder material has a composition, by weight, of 0.1-5% of the ceramic nanoparticles.