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Depositing heat-treated aluminum using ultrasonic consolidation

a technology of ultrasonic consolidation and heat-treated aluminum, which is applied in the field of ultrasonic object consolidation, can solve the problems of constant variation in the amount of power required to achieve this, and achieve the effect of reducing the amount of slumping

Inactive Publication Date: 2006-06-29
SOLIDICA
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0010] The feedstock may be solution heat-treated. This would include situations wherein the feedstock is solution heat treated off-line and maintained under controlled temperature conditions to prevent precipitation of solutes prior to the ultrasonic consolidation. Alternatively, the feedstock may be heat-treated on-line by passing it through a temperature- and / or atmosphere-controlled chamber prior to ultrasonic consolidation. The feedstock may be supported to minimize slumping due to creep.

Problems solved by technology

The amount of power required to accomplish this is constantly varying due to the constantly changing geometry of the structure.

Method used

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  • Depositing heat-treated aluminum using ultrasonic consolidation
  • Depositing heat-treated aluminum using ultrasonic consolidation
  • Depositing heat-treated aluminum using ultrasonic consolidation

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Embodiment Construction

[0020]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an automated ultrasonic consolidation system to which the invention is applicable. A computer-aided design unit 60 provides a layer-by-layer description of the object and of the support, as needed. The object material is fed onto the work area 75 by an object-material feed unit 64. The support material is fed onto the work area 75 by a support-material feed unit 62. The feed units may be combined into one when the shapes of the object and support layers are compatible, for instance sheets of plastic are used for the support and sheets of aluminum foil for the object. In general, two different feed units are required.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, the object may be fabricated by consolidating segments of tape 100 or filament or dots of material, as described below in other embodiments of the invention, while the support for overhanging parts 95 of the object may be constructed by adding layers of support material 90.

[0022] The object layers may be...

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Abstract

A system, method, and articles are disclosed with respect to depositing aluminum or alloys thereof, utilizing ultrasonic object consolidation. The method aspect of the invention comprises the steps of heat-treating an aluminum-based feedstock and ultrasonically consolidating the feedstock to a substrate to produce a part or a repair of a part, as might be required in an aerospace or aircraft structure. The feedstock may be solution heat-treated. This would include situations wherein the feedstock is solution heat treated off-line and maintained under controlled temperature conditions to prevent precipitation of solutes prior to the ultrasonic consolidation. Alternatively, the feedstock may be heat-treated on-line by passing it through a temperature- and / or atmosphere-controlled chamber prior to ultrasonic consolidation. The feedstock may be supported to minimize slumping due to creep. The feedstock may be T4, or may be aged, to T6, for example. The feedstock may be allowed to age naturally at room temperature, or a heat source may be used to artificially age the consolidated feedstock. The substrate may be aged or unaged. The source of the aluminum-based feedstock is in the form of tapes, sheets, wires, or droplets.

Description

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 629,421, filed Nov. 19, 2004, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates generally to ultrasonic object consolidation and, in particular, to the deposition of heat-treated aluminum using ultrasonic consolidation without disturbing the properties of the underlying material(s). BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Ultrasonic consolidation is an additive manufacturing technology used to produce objects of any geometry from uniform, featureless feedstocks, such as tapes, sheets, wires, or droplets. There are a range of methods for accomplishing the metallurgical consolidation of the feedstocks via ultrasonic energy. These include, but are not limited to, spot consolidation, continuous rotary consolidation, plate-type consolidation, and so forth. [0004] My U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,500 is directed to ...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): C22F1/04
CPCC22F1/04
Inventor WHITE, DAWN
Owner SOLIDICA
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