Additive manufacturing using a stranded wire

Abstract

A stranded wire is disclosed for feeding to an additive manufacturing process. The stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising a first metal or a first pre-alloy and one or more second wire filaments comprising a second metal or a second pre-alloy, wherein the second metal or a second pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy. The first metal or a first pre-alloy and the second metal or a second pre-alloy have high purity.

Description

Additive Manufacturing Using A Stranded WirePRIORITY CLAIM

[0001] The application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 511 ,057 filed on June 29, 2023, which is fully incorporated by reference herein.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the production of a metal alloy. In particular to a method for in situ production of a metal alloy using a stranded wire in an additive manufacturing process.BACKGROUND

[0003] Additive manufacturing technology provides possibilities for the preparation of components by a layer-by-layer stacking method in a rapid fashion. Additive manufacturing may produce complex components with improved structural optimization and integrated forming that are near form to the final shape. Directed energy deposition processes are used when metal alloys are used as the feedstock for additive manufacturing technology. Directed energy deposition techniques referto additive manufacturing processes that utilize focused thermal energy (e.g., laser, electron beam, plasma, or arc, etc.) to simultaneously melt and deposit materials. Directed energy deposition using wires mainly comprise a laserthree-dimensional formingtechnology (LSF), an electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) and wire arc as additive manufacturing (WAAM). The feed for the directed energy deposition may be a powder or wire.

[0004] Despite the possibilities, certain types of alloys impose extremely high requirements on additive manufacturing technology, which greatly limit development. Certain alloys may have a high laser reflectivity or high thermal conductivity, may be easily oxidized, low density, or are not suitable to be produced as a wire. To overcome such limitations, developers have sought to create modified alloys or introduce processing aidsor reinforcing agents — although processing aids and reinforcing agents may generate impurities that are undesirable. The modified alloys may suffer from other mechanical or structural features.

[0005] The need exists for a straightforward process that provides improvements to permit a wide variety of alloys to be used in additive manufacturing processes.SUMMARY

[0006] The present disclosure describes a method for producing a metal alloy using a stranded wire in an additive manufacturing process. This method may be used to generate in situ alloys. Thus, advantageously the method is capable of producing components using an additive manufacturing process with alloys that are difficult to process into wire.

[0007] In one embodiment, there is provided a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool and, forming the alloy in the melt pool. In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises two or more wire filaments. To obtain the alloy, it is preferred the wire filaments are different metals or pre-alloys. Preferably each wire has a purity that is at least 95% or more for each metal or for each pre-alloy, i.e. alloying element. In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or a first pre-alloy and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy. The alloy comprises the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy. In one embodiment, forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the temperature of the melt pool. The temperature of the melt pool may be heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the alloy. In one embodiment, forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the feed rate of the stranded wire to the melt pool. In one embodiment, forming the alloy composition in the melt pool comprises controlling the interlayer temperature of the melt pool.

[0008] In one embodiment, there is provided a stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or a first pre-alloy and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, wherein the second metal or a second pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy. In one embodiment, the stranded wire is a multifilament wire, which may be twisted, co-axial, formed with a core-winding configuration orformed by windingthe first wire filament and the second wire filament concentrically in a helix. Preferably, the first wire filament is not bonded with the second wire filament. The first wire filament may have a diameter from 0.05 mm to 5 mm, and the second wire filament may have a diameter from 0.05 mm to 5 mm. The first metal or first pre-alloy composition comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten. The first metal or first pre-alloy composition comprises niobium, tantalum, ortungsten. The stranded wire comprises from 10% to 99.99% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire. The second metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium. In one embodiment, the stranded wire may comprise from 0.001 to 50% of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0009] In one aspect, there is provided a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or a first pre-alloy, one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, and one or more third wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a third metal or a third pre-alloy, wherein the second metal or a second prealloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the third metal or the third pre-alloy, forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises the first metal or the first pre-alloy, the second metal or the second pre-alloy, and the third metal or the third pre-alloy.

[0010] In one aspect, there is provided a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein thestranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of niobium and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises niobium and the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0011] In another aspect, there is provided a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of tantalum and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises tantalum and the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0012] In another aspect, there is provided a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of tungsten and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises tungsten and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

[0013] These and other non-limiting characteristics are more particularly described below.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] The present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the appended drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a wire arc additive manufacturing in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a side view of stranded wire having two wire filaments in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stranded wire having two wire filaments with different diameters in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present disclosure may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of desired embodiments and the examples included therein. In the following specification and the claims which follow, reference will be made to a number of terms which shall be defined to have the following meanings.

[0019] As disclosed herein the method uses an additive manufacturing method used to build up a three-dimensional (3D) metal part layer-by-layer according to a 3D digital model. In one embodiment, the additive manufacturing method may be a powder bed fusion process, material jetting process, binder jetting process, or directed energy deposition process. Directed energy deposition is a preferred additive manufacturing for wire feedstocks. Directed energy deposition methods generally involve applyingthermal energy (e.g., laser, electron beam, plasma, or arc, etc.) to simultaneously melt the feedstock (e.g., powder or wire) and deposit materials in a layer-by-layer manner. In particular, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) may use a wire feedstock to discrete deposit the layers. There are several types of WAAM processes depending on the heat source. In one embodiment, the heat source for the method may be a laser, gas metal arc, a tungsten inert gas arc, or a plasma arc,. WAAM methods can achieve a high deposition rate, high wire utilization, and low manufacturing cost. In addition, WAAM is more suitable for producing large-scale components and is not limited by the size of the equipment. Alternatively, if an electron beam is used as the heat source, then the technique is commonly referred to as electron beam additive manufacturing (EBAM) and is conducted in a vacuum rather than the inert environments of the WAAM processes.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a WAAM system 10, which comprises a substrate 12, heat source 14, enclosure 16, and wire feeder 18. The substrate 12 may be mounted to a plate or workbench. For purposes of illustration the work-piece 20 is shown with the build layers 22. The torch 14 is mounted to a slider (not shown) for movingthe heat source 14 in the deposition direction as shown by arrow A (horizontal) and a build direction as shown by arrow B (vertical). The substrate 12 may comprise the surface upon which the layers are deposited. In some embodiments, the substrate 12 may be moved in direction as shownby arrow B as the work-piece 20 is build up. The heat source 14 may be a laser, gas metal arc, a tungsten inert gas arc, a plasma arc, or an electron beam. For purposes of the present disclosure, the heat source 14 shown in FIG. 1 may be a tungsten inert gas torch. The heat source 14 has a nozzle 40 to generate an arc 42 that forms a melt pool 44 above the work-piece 20. A stranded wire 102 is fed from the wire feeder 18 and towards the melt pool 44. The substrate 12 may comprise the surface on which the melt pool 44 is initially formed. As shown in FIG. 1 , as the layers 22 are built up the surface may comprise the layer 22 closest to the heat source 14. The stranded wire 102 comprises two or more wire filaments, and an alloy is formed in situ in the melt pool 44 when the stranded wire 102 is contacted with the arc 42. Once cooled each layer 22 of the work-piece 20 is built up from the alloy. The enclosure 16 may be a chamber that comprise an inert gas. In one embodiment, the enclosure 16 may be held under vacuum conditions.

[0021] The additive manufacturing process involves generating a three-dimensional (3D) model of the component, referred to as the work-piece, using computer aided drawing software. The 3D model is then layered sliced and this information is used to control the deposition of the stranded wire.

[0022] In preparingthe alloys, the process can obtain high strength alloyfor the components. In one embodiment, the alloys are obtained without defects. This reduces internal cracks within the work-piece. In one embodiment, the alloys may be produced without defects caused from interstitial elements and / or inclusions.

[0023] In one embodiment, the method of forming an alloy comprises generating a melt pool on a surface, which may be the base material or previously deposited layer, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool and forming the alloy in the melt pool. The process may further comprise controlling the temperature of the melt pool and / or controlling the feed rate of the stranded wire to the melt pool. In some embodiments, the process may also comprises controlling the interlayer temperature of the melt pool. The interlayer temperature may be controlled by passing a chilled fluid, such as cooling liquid or gas, over the melt pool to absorb heat from the melt pool. The temperature of the melt pool may be determined based on the metals used to form the alloy in situ. In one embodiment, thetemperature of the melt pool is heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the alloy that is to be formed from the wire filaments in the stranded wire.

[0024] In one embodiment, the melt pool is generated in an enclosure comprising a shield gas, preferably an inert gas such as argon. In some embodiments, the enclosure may be under vacuum.

[0025] The stranded wire is fed to melt pool to produce the alloy in situ. This allows for the use of alloys in additive manufacturing that would be difficult to directed deposit as layers. The number of layers in each work-piece may be in relation to the sliced of the layers from the 3D modeling. The width of each layer can be determined, in part, by the diameter of the stranded wire. In one embodiment, the method may permit forming the alloy in situ in melt pool that is up to 20 mm in width, e.g., up to 18 mm in width, up to 16 mm in width, up to 15 mm in width.

[0026] In one embodiment, the stranded wire may be preheated and fed to the melt pool. In other embodiments, the stranded wire may be unheated when fed to the melt pool.

[0027] FIG. 2 illustrates a stranded wire 200 that is a multifilament wire and comprises first wire filament 202 and a second wire filament 204. While FIG. 2 shows two wire filaments, it should be understood that stranded wires may comprise more than two filaments, e.g., more than three filaments, or more than fourfilaments. To obtain an alloy in situ according to the disclosed method, a stranded wire comprises at least filaments having different metals or different pre-alloys. A multifilament wire may comprise more than 2 filaments, e.g., more than 3 filaments, more than 5 filaments, more than 10 filaments, more than 25 filaments or more than 50 filaments. The filaments may range from 2 to 200 filaments, e.g., from 2 to 180 filaments, from 2 to 150 filaments, from 2 to 120 filaments, from 2 to 100 filaments, or from 2 to 50 filaments. The number of filaments for each of the different metals or pre-alloys may vary depending on the alloy sought to be produced. For example, an alloy comprising two metals may have a number of filaments that correspond to the relative percentage of each of the metals in the alloy being formed in situ.

[0028] The multifilaments may be co-axial or may be twisted together as shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, the multifilaments are twisted together. In one embodiment, the stranded wire is formed by windingthe one wire filament with anotherwire filament concentrically in a helix. In one embodiment, the stranded wire is formed with a core-winding configuration where one or more winding wire filaments are wound around a core wire filament. Multiple filaments may be wound in such a matter. In one embodiment, each of the filaments is not bonded to the other filaments.

[0029] The stranded wire may have a circular cross-section or a non-circular crosssection. Non-circular cross-sections may include cross-sections are rounded, hexagon, square, oval, and may also include flat ribbons. Preferably the cross-section of the stranded wire is non-circular. In addition, the wire filaments that constitute the stranded wire may each have a circular cross-section or a non-circular cross-section. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectionalview of a stranded wire 300 having three first wire filaments 302 and three second wire filaments 304. The first wire filaments 302 have a circular cross-section, and are larger in diameter than the second wire filaments 304. The second wire filaments 304 also have a circular cross-section. The stranded wire 300 has a non-circular crosssection.

[0030] In one embodiment, the stranded wire may have a core wire filament with one or more wire filament windings. The core wire filament may be a hexagon core or rounded core. The filament windings may be a rounded winding or a flat winding.

[0031] Each wire filament may have a diameter from 0.05 mm to 5 mm, e.g., from 0.05 mm to 4.5 mm, from 0.05 mm to 4 mm, from 0.1 mm to 4 mm, from 0.1 mm to 3.5 mm, from 0.25 mm to 3.5 mm, from 0.25 mm to 3 mm, from 0.25 mm to 2.5 mm, from 0.25 mm to 2 mm, from 0.25 mm to 1 .5 mm, or from 0.25 mm to 1 mm. In general, small diameters for the wire filaments are preferred because when the diameter of the wire filament exceeds 5 mm the flexibility of the stranded wire may be limited. As shown in FIG. 3 the wire filaments may have different diameters. The diameters of the different filaments may vary depending on the alloy sought to be produced. For example, an alloy comprising X% of one metal and 1 -X% of another metal may have different sized wire filaments tocorrespond each percentage of the metal in the formed alloy. This can be calculated based on the desired composition of the alloy.

[0032] The metals that may be used in the wire filaments may include any one of the metal comprising at least one transitional metal, post-transitional metal, metalloids, rare earth metal, alkaline earth metal, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the metals that may be used in the wire filaments may comprise at least one transitional metal, at least one rare earth metal, or at least one alkaline earth metal. The metals may include any combination of aluminum, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

[0033] Each of the wire filaments used in the embodied methods may comprises a metal or pre-alloy having a relatively high purity. In one embodiment, the filaments may contain 95% by weight or more of a metal or pre-alloy, e.g., 96% by weight or more, 97% by weight or more, 98% by weight or more, 99% by weight or more, 99.5% by weight or more or 99.9% by weight or more.

[0034] For purposes of convenience the designations of first metal, second metal, etc. are used to indicate the different metals being alloyed together in situ during the additive manufacturing process. In general the base metal of the alloy is represented as the first metal.

[0035] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises a first metal or pre-alloy composition that comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, and combinations thereof. In particular, the alloys that comprise niobium, tantalum, or tungsten are preferred. The stranded wire comprises a second metal or prealloy compositions that comprises a different metal. In one embodiment, the second metal or pre-alloy composition may comprise at least one transitional metal, at least one rare earth metal, or at least one alkaline earth metal. In particular, the metal for the second metal or pre-alloy composition may comprise aluminum, beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese,molybdenum, nickel, niobium, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, zirconium, or any combination thereof.

[0036] The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 99.99% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire. In more preferred embodiments, the stranded wire may comprise from 25% by weight to 99.5% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, e.g., from 40% by weight to 99% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, from 45% to 98% of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, from 50% by weight to 95% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, or from 60% by weight to 92% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy.

[0037] The stranded wire may comprise from 0.001 % by weight to 70% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire. In more preferred embodiments, the stranded wire may comprise from 0.1% by weight to 65% by weight of the second metal orthe second pre-alloy, e.g., from 0.1 % by weight to 60% by weight of the second metal orthe second pre-alloy, from 0.1 % by weight to 50% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, from 0.5% by weight to 45% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, from 0.5% by weight to 40% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, from 0.75% by weight to 35% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, from 1 % by weight to 30% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, orfrom 1% by weightto 25% by weight of the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0038] In some embodiments, in addition to the first and second filaments, the stranded wire can comprise a third wire filament. In particular, the metal for the third metal or pre-alloy composition comprises a metal that is different from the first or second metal. In one embodiment, the third metal or pre-alloy composition may comprise at least one transitional metal, at least one rare earth metal, at least one alkaline earth metal or any combinations thereof. The third metal may preferably comprise beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, zirconium, or any combination thereof.

[0039] The stranded wire may comprise from 0.001 % by weight to 70% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire. In more preferred embodiments, the stranded wire may comprise from 0.01 % by weight to 65% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, e.g., from 0.1% by weight to 60% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, from 0.1 % by weight to 50% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, from 0.5% by weight to 45% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy from 0.5% by weight to 40% by weight of the third metal or the third prealloy, from 0.75% by weight to 35% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, from 1 % by weight to 30% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, or from 1% by weight to 25% by weight of the third metal or the third pre-alloy.

[0040] It should be understood the number of metals to be form into an alloy in situ is not limited and there may be additionalfilaments comprising additional different metals. In one embodiment, there may be at least four filaments having different metals or different pre-alloys, more preferably there may be at least five filaments having different metals or different pre-alloys or more preferably there may be at least six filaments having different metals or different pre-alloys. Although there is no limit, in one embodiment when further different metals are included, it may be preferred to use a pre-alloy of two or more metals.

[0041] Various examples of alloys that can be obtain in situ usingthe process disclosed herein are now detailed. The weight percentages may be achieved by having different diameters for each filament or a different number of filaments. Even though the alloys described herein are primarily composed of the exemplary metals, it should be understood that various metallic impurities may also be present. These metallic impurities may be less than 500 ppm. Generally the metallic impurities are not included as a separate wire filament, but are included within the filaments of the first or second metals. Thus, to maintain high purity and allow for in situ formation, the wire filaments may comprise 95% or more of the metal, based on the total metal content of the wire filament, e.g., may comprise 97.5% or more of the metal, or may comprise 98.5% of more of the metal. Except for the use of pre-alloys with organic components, as described below, the alloys may alsohave Low amounts of interstitial elements, such as H, C, N, O. In one embodiment, the content of H is maintained to be from 0.5 ppm to 300 ppm, e.g., from 1 ppm to 150 ppm or from 1 ppm to 100 ppm. In one embodiment, the content of C is maintained to be from 0.5 ppm to 500 ppm, e.g., from 1 ppm to 250 ppm or from 1 ppm to 200 ppm. In one embodiment, the content of N is maintained to be from 0.5 ppm to 600 ppm, e.g., from 1 ppm to 300 ppm or from 1 ppm to 150 ppm. In one embodiment, the content of O is maintained to be from 0.5 ppm to 400 ppm, e.g., from 1 ppm to 200 ppm or from 1 ppm to 150 ppm. For most of the alloys produced using the stranded wire disclosed herein, the properties degrade, in particular embrittlement and / or ductility, when the concentration of the interstitial elements exceed the above limits.

[0042] Although the following exemplary embodiments describe various alloys that can be produced from stranded wire, it should be understood by those skill in the art that the embodiment embrace other metal alloys without departingfrom the scope.

[0043] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium, and hafnium. The stranded wire may comprise 70% by weight to 95% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 25% by weight of titanium, and from 0.5% by weight to 5% by weight of hafnium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 85% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 6% by weight to 12% by weight of titanium, and from 0.5% by weight to 2% by weight of hafnium. In some embodiments, the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium, and hafnium may also contain zirconium. Preferably, zirconium may be present in amounts ranging from 0.2% by weight to 4% by weight, e.g., from 0.4% by weight to 2.5% by weight or from 0.5% by weight to 1.5% by weight. The stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium, and hafnium may be used to produce C-103 niobium alloy (Nb-1 OHf- 1Ti).

[0044] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium, and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 95% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 65% by weight of titanium, and from 0.5% by weight to 35% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 7% by weight to 60% by weight of titanium, andfrom 0.9% by weight to 25% by weight of zirconium. In one embodiment, the wire filaments used to form the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium, and zirconium, are free of aluminum and / orvanadium.

[0045] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium and titanium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium and from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of titanium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 40% by weight to 60% by weight of niobium and from 40% by weight to 50% by weight of titanium. For some applications, the first metal may be titanium and the second metal may be niobium and the stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of titanium and from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of niobium, in particular from 50% by weight to 60% by weight of titanium and from 40% by weight to 55% by weight of niobium.

[0046] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium and tin. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium and from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of tin. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium and from 20% by weight to 50% by weight of tin. In some embodiments, the niobium and tin stranded wire may also contain titanium. Preferably, titanium may be present in amounts up to 20% by weight, e.g., up to 15% by weight, up to 10% by weight, or up to 5% by weight.

[0047] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 75% by weight to 99.99% by weight of niobium and from 0.01 % by weight to 25% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 89.5% by weight to 99.95% by weight of niobium and from 0.05% by weight to 10.5% by weight of zirconium.

[0048] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium and tungsten. The stranded wire may comprise from 80% by weight to 99.99% by weight of niobium and from 0.01 % by weight to 20% by weight of tungsten. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 90% by weight to 97% by weight of niobium and from 3% by weight to 10% by weight of tungsten. The wire filaments of niobium may also contain small amounts ofmolybdenum, zirconium, copper, titanium, iron, silicon, and / ortantalum. The total amount molybdenum, based on the combined weight of niobium and tungsten may be less than 4% by weight, e.g., less than 3% by weight or less than 2%. The total amount zirconium, based on the combined weight of niobium and tungsten may be less than 4% by weight, e.g., less than 3% by weight or less than 2%. In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium and tungsten may be used to form Nb521 alloy, which possesses excellent thermal performance and good workability for preparing complex work-pieces. Nb521 alloy may also be enriched in carbon and may have carbon levels from 50 ppm to 1500 ppm, e.g., from 250 ppm to 1250 ppm or from 800 ppm to 1200 ppm.

[0049] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium and vanadium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium and from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of vanadium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium and from 20% by weight to 50% by weight of vanadium.

[0050] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tantalum and tungsten. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 10% by weightto 50% by weight of tantalum, and from 10% by weightto 50% by weight of tungsten. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 20% by weight to 50% by weight of tantalum, and from 20% by weight to 50% by weight of tungsten.

[0051] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tantalum, tungsten, and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 50% by weight of tantalum, from 5% by weightto 50% by weight of tungsten, and from 5% by weight to 50% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of tantalum, from 10% by weightto 50% by weight of tungsten, and from 5% by weightto 25% by weight of zirconium.

[0052] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tantalum and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight ofniobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of tantalum, and from 1 % by weight to 50% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 15% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 45% by weight of tantalum, and from 5% by weight to 45% by weight of zirconium.

[0053] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of titanium, and from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of titanium, and from 2.5% by weight to 40% by weight of zirconium.

[0054] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, titanium and molybdenum. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of titanium, and from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of molybdenum. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of titanium, and from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of molybdenum.

[0055] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tungsten and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of tungsten, and from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of tungsten, and from 2.5% by weight to 40% by weight of zirconium. In some embodiments, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tungsten and zirconium and molybdenum, from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of molybdenum and more preferably from 1% by weight to 35% by weight of molybdenum.

[0056] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tungsten and hafnium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of tungsten, and from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of hafnium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% byweight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of tungsten, and from 2.5% by weight to 40% by weight of hafnium.

[0057] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, tungsten, titanium and molybdenum. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of tungsten, and from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of zirconium, and from 0.5% by weight to 10% by weight of molybdenum. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of tungsten, from 2.5% by weight to 40% by weight of zirconium, and from 1% by weight to 5% by weight of molybdenum.

[0058] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises niobium, vanadium, molybdenum and zirconium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of niobium, from 1% by weight to 50% by weight of vanadium, and from 0.5% by weight to 25% by weight of molybdenum, and from 0.5% by weight to 25% by weight of zirconium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 20% by weight to 75% by weight of niobium, from 5% by weight to 40% by weight of vanadium, from 1% by weight to 40% by weight of molybdenum, and from 1% by weight to 10% by weight of zirconium.

[0059] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises tantalum and tungsten. The stranded wire may comprise from 85% by weight to 99.5% by weight of tantalum and from 0.5% by weight to 15% by weight of tungsten. Preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 89.5% by weight to 97.5% by weight of tantalum and from 2.5% by weight to 10.5% by weight of tungsten. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 92.5% by weight to 97.5% by weight of tantalum and from 2.5% by weight to 7.5% by weight of tungsten.

[0060] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises tantalum and titanium. The stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 99.5% by weight of tantalum and from 0.5% by weight to 50% by weight of titanium. Preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 60% by weight to 97.5% by weight of tantalum and from 2.5% by weight to 40% by weight of titanium.

[0061] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises tantalum, tungsten, and hafnium. The stranded wire may comprise from 40% by weight to 99.5% by weight oftantalum, from 0.5% by weight to 35% by weight of tungsten, and from 0.01 % by weight to 25% by weight of hafnium. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 60% by weight to 98% by weight of tantalum, from 1% by weight to 10% by weight of tungsten, and from 0.5% by weight to 5% by weight of hafnium.

[0062] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises tantalum, tungsten, niobium, and molybdenum. The stranded wire may comprise from 95% by weight to 99.5% by weight of tantalum, from 0.5% by weight to 3.5% by weight of tungsten, from 0.05% by weight to 0.5% by weight of niobium, and from 0.001% by weightto 0.1 % by weight of molybdenum. More preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 97% by weight to 98% by weight of tantalum, from 2% by weight to 3% by weight of tungsten, from 0.075% by weight to 0.2% by weight of niobium, and from 0.005% by weight to 0.05% by weight of molybdenum.

[0063] In one embodiment, the stranded wire comprises tungsten and rhenium. The stranded wire may comprise from 10% by weight to 90% by weight of tungsten and from 10% by weight to 50% by weight of rhenium. Preferably, the stranded wire may comprise from 50% by weight to 80% by weight of tungsten and from 15% by weightto 45% by weight of rhenium. In some embodiments, the stranded wire comprisingtungsten and rhenium may also comprise hafnium, from 0.01% by weight to 25% by weight of hafnium, and more preferably from 0.5% by weightto 10% by weight of hafnium.

[0064] In one embodiment, the filament may comprise a pre-alloy. Pre-alloy refers to an alloy that is used to from the alloy in situ. The pre-alloy may be an alloy or a combination of metals, listed above. In some embodiments, the pre-alloy may comprise at least one organic compound. In addition to the metallic components listed above, the pre-alloy may also have organic components such as carbon, oxygen, or nitrogen.

[0065] The present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understandingthe preceding detailed description. It is intended the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims orthe equivalents thereof. In some embodiments, any or some of the steps or components disclosed herein may beconsidered optional. In some cases, any or some of the aforementioned items in this description may be expressly excluded, e.g., via claim language. For example claim language may be modified to recite additional process steps.

[0066] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In case of conflict, the present document, including definitions, will control. Preferred methods and materials are described below, although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in practice or testing of the present disclosure. All publications, patent applications, patents and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. The materials, methods, and examples disclosed herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

[0067] The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0068] As used in the specification and in the claims, the term “comprising” may include the embodiments “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of.” The terms “comprise(s),” “include(s),” “having,” “has,” “can,” “contain(s),” and variants thereof, as used herein, are intended to be open-ended transitional phrases that require the presence of the named ingredients / steps and permit the presence of other ingredients / steps. However, such description should be construed as also describing compositions or processes as “consisting of” and “consisting essentially of” the enumerated ingredients / steps, which allows the presence of only the named ingredients / steps, along with any impurities that might result therefrom, and excludes other ingredients / steps.

[0069] Numerical values in the specification and claims of this application, as they relate to polymers or polymer compositions, reflect average values for a composition that may contain individual polymers of different characteristics. The numerical values disclosed herein should be understood to include numerical values which are the same when reduced to the same number of significant figures and numerical values which differ from the stated value by less than the experimental error of conventional measurement technique of the type described in the present application to determine the value.

[0070] All ranges disclosed herein are inclusive of the recited endpoint and independently combinable (for example, the range of “from 2 microns to 5 microns” is inclusive of the endpoints, 2 microns and 5 microns, and all the intermediate values). The endpoints of the ranges and any values disclosed herein are not limited to the precise range orvalue; they are sufficiently imprecise to include values approximatingthese ranges and / or values.

[0071] As used herein, approximating language may be applied to modify any quantitative representation that may vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about” and “substantially,” may not be limited to the precise value specified, in some cases. The modifier “about” should also be considered as disclosing the range defined by the absolute values of the two endpoints. For example, the expression “from about 2 to about 4” also discloses the range “from 2 to 4.” The term “about” may referto plus or minus 10% of the indicated number. For example, “about 10%” may indicate a range of 9% to 11 %, and “about 1 ” may mean from 0.9-1 .1 .

[0072] For the recitation of numeric ranges herein, each intervening number there between with the same degree of precision is explicitly contemplated. For example, for the range of 6-9, the numbers 7 and 8 are contemplated in addition to 6 and 9, and for the range 6.0-7.0, the number 6.0, 6.1 , 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, and 7.0 are explicitly contemplated.

[0073] The present disclosure has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understandingthe preceding detailed description. It is intended that the present disclosure be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. In some embodiments, any or some of the steps or components disclosed herein may be considered optional. In some cases, any or some of the aforementioned items in this description may be expressly excluded, e.g., via claim language. For example claim language may be modified to recite additional process steps.

[0074] Embodiment 1 is a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or a first pre-alloy and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, wherein the second metal or the second pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy, and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

[0075] Embodiment 2 is the method of embodiment 1 , wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the temperature of the melt pool.

[0076] Embodiment 3 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 or 2, wherein the temperature of the melt pool is heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the alloy.

[0077] Embodiment 4 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -3, wherein the melt pool is generated by a laser, a gas metal arc, a tungsten inert gas arc, a plasma arc or an electron beam serving as a heat source.

[0078] Embodiment 5 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -4, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the feed rate of the stranded wire to the melt pool.

[0079] Embodiment 6 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -5, wherein the stranded wire is fed to the melt pool is unheated.

[0080] Embodiment 7 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -6, wherein the stranded wire is fed to the melt pool is preheated.

[0081] Embodiment 8 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -7, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the interlayer temperature of the melt pool.

[0082] Embodiment 9 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -8, wherein the melt pool is generated in an enclosure comprising a shield gas.

[0083] Embodiment 10 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-9, wherein the surface comprises the alloy composition.

[0084] Embodiment 11 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein the stranded wire is a multifilament wire.

[0085] Embodiment 12 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-11 , wherein the multifilament wire are twisted.

[0086] Embodiment 13 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the multifilament wire are co-axial.

[0087] Embodiment 14 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-13, wherein the multifilament wire comprises more than two filaments.

[0088] Embodiment 15 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein the multifilament wire comprises from 2 to 200 filaments.

[0089] Embodiment 16 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-15, wherein the stranded wire has a circular cross-section.

[0090] Embodiment 17 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-16, wherein the stranded wire has a non-circular cross-section.

[0091] Embodiment 18 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-17, wherein the stranded wire is formed by windingthe first wire filament and the second wire filament concentrically in a helix.

[0092] Embodiment 19 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-18, wherein the first wire filament is not bonded with the second wire filament.

[0093] Embodiment 20 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-19, wherein the first wire filament is not bonded with the second wire filament.

[0094] Embodiment 21 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-20, wherein the first wire filament has a diameterfrom 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

[0095] Embodiment 22 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-21 , wherein the second wire filament has a diameterfrom 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

[0096] Embodiment 23 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -22, wherein the first metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten.

[0097] Embodiment 24 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -23, wherein the first metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of niobium, tantalum, and tungsten.

[0098] Embodiment 25 is the method of any one of embodiments 1 -24, wherein the first pre-alloy comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten.

[0099] Embodiment 26 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-25, wherein the first pre-alloy comprises at least one organic compound.

[0100] Embodiment 27 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-26, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 10% to 99.99% by weight of the first metal or the first prealloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0101] Embodiment 28 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-27, wherein the second metal comprises at least one transitional metal.

[0102] Embodiment 29 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-28, wherein the second metal comprises at least one rare earth metal.

[0103] Embodiment 30 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-29, wherein the second metal comprises at least one alkaline earth metal.

[0104] Embodiment 31 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-30, wherein the second metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium.

[0105] Embodiment 32 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-31 , wherein the second pre-alloy composition comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead,magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium.

[0106] Embodiment 33 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-32, wherein the second pre-alloy composition comprises at least one organic compound.

[0107] Embodiment 34 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-33, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001% to 50% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0108] Embodiment 35 is the method of any one of embodiments 1-34, wherein the stranded wire comprises a third wire filament comprising 95% or more of a third metal or a third pre-alloy, wherein the third metal or a third pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

[0109] Embodiment 36 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the alloy comprises the third metal or the third pre-alloy.

[0110] Embodiment 37 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third metal comprises at least one transition metal.

[0111] Embodiment 38 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third metal comprises at least one rare earth metal.

[0112] Embodiment 39 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third metal comprises at least one alkaline earth metal.

[0113] Embodiment 40 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

[0114] Embodiment 41 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third pre-alloy composition comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

[0115] Embodiment 42 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the third pre-alloy composition comprises at least one organic compound.

[0116] Embodiment 43 is the method of embodiment 35, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001 to 50% of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0117] Embodiment 44 is a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface, feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or first metal pre-alloy comprising niobium and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy; and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises niobium and the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0118] Embodiment 45 is a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface; feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or first metal pre-alloy comprising tantalum and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy; and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises tantalum and the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0119] Embodiment 46 is a method of forming an alloy comprising generating a melt pool on a surface; feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or first metal pre-alloy comprising tungsten and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy; and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises tungsten and the second metal orthe second pre-alloy.

[0120] Embodiment 47 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-46, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the temperature of the melt pool.

[0121] Embodiment 48 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-47, wherein the temperature of the melt pool is heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the alloy.

[0122] Embodiment 50 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-48, wherein the melt pool is generated by a laser, a gas metal arc, a tungsten inert gas arc, a plasma arc or an electron beam serving as a heat source.

[0123] Embodiment 51 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-50, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the feed rate of the stranded wire to the melt pool.

[0124] Embodiment 52 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-51 , wherein the stranded wire is fed to the melt pool is unheated.

[0125] Embodiment 53 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-52, wherein the stranded wire is fed to the melt pool is preheated.

[0126] Embodiment 54 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-53, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the interlayer temperature of the melt pool.

[0127] Embodiment 55 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-54, wherein the melt pool is generated in an enclosure comprising a shield gas.

[0128] Embodiment 56 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-55, wherein the melt pool is generated in an enclosure under vacuum.

[0129] Embodiment 57 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-56, wherein the surface comprises the alloy composition.

[0130] Embodiment 58 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-57, wherein the stranded wire is a multifilament wire.

[0131] Embodiment 59 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-58, wherein the multifilament wire are twisted.

[0132] Embodiment 60 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-59, wherein the multifilament wire are co-axial.

[0133] Embodiment 61 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-60, wherein the multifilament wire comprises more than two filaments.

[0134] Embodiment 62 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-61 , wherein the multifilament wire comprises from 2 to 200 filaments.

[0135] Embodiment 63 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-62, wherein the stranded wire has a circular cross-section.

[0136] Embodiment 64 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-63, wherein the stranded wire has a non-circular cross-section.

[0137] Embodiment 65 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-64, wherein the stranded wire is formed by windingthe first wire filament and the second wire filament concentrically in a helix.

[0138] Embodiment 66 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-65, wherein the first wire filament is not bonded with the second wire filament.

[0139] Embodiment 67 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-66, wherein the first wire filament has a diameter from 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

[0140] Embodiment 68 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-67, wherein the second wire filament has a diameterfrom 0.05 mm to 5 mm.

[0141] Embodiment 69 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-68, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 10% to 99.99% by weight of the first metal or the first prealloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0142] Embodiment 70 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-69, wherein the second metal comprises at least one transitional metal.

[0143] Embodiment 71 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-70, wherein the second metal comprises at least one rare earth metal.

[0144] Embodiment 72 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-71 , wherein the second metal comprises at least one alkaline earth metal.

[0145] Embodiment 73 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-72, wherein the second metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium.

[0146] Embodiment 74 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-73, wherein the second pre-alloy composition comprises at least one metal selected from the groupconsisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium.

[0147] Embodiment 75 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-74, wherein the second pre-alloy composition comprises at least one organic compound.

[0148] Embodiment 76 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-75, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001% to 50% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0149] Embodiment 77 is the method of any one of embodiments 44-76, wherein the stranded wire comprises a third wire filament comprising 95% or more of a third metal or a third pre-alloy, wherein the third metal or a third pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

[0150] Embodiment 78 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the alloy comprises the third metal or the third pre-alloy.

[0151] Embodiment 79 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third metal comprises at least one transition metal.

[0152] Embodiment 80 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third metal comprises at least one rare earth metal.

[0153] Embodiment 81 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third metal comprises at least one alkaline earth metal.

[0154] Embodiment 82 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

[0155] Embodiment 83 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third pre-alloy composition comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead,magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

[0156] Embodiment 84 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the third pre-alloy composition comprises at least one organic compound.

[0157] Embodiment 85 is the method of embodiment 74, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001 to 50% of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

[0158] While the invention has been described in detail, modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of skill in the art. In view of the foregoing discussion, relevant knowledge in the art and references discussed above in connection with the Background and Detailed Description, the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference. In addition, it should be understood that aspects of the invention and portions of various embodiments and various features recited below and / or in the appended claims may be combined or interchanged either in whole or in part. In the foregoing descriptions of the various embodiments, those embodiments which refer to another embodiment may be appropriately combined with other embodiments as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the foregoing description is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit.

Claims

What is Claimed is:

1. A method of forming an alloy comprising: generating a melt pool on a surface; feeding a stranded wire to the melt pool, wherein the stranded wire comprises one or more first wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a first metal or a first pre-alloy and one or more second wire filaments comprising 95% or more of a second metal or a second pre-alloy, wherein the second metal or the second pre-alloy is different than the first metal orthe first pre-alloy; and forming the alloy in the melt pool, wherein the alloy comprises the first metal or the first pre-alloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temperature of the melt pool is heated to a temperature greater than the melting point of the alloy.

3. The method of any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein the melt pool is generated by a laser, a gas metal arc, a tungsten inert gas arc, a plasma arc or an electron beam serving as a heat source.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 -3, wherein the forming the alloy in the melt pool comprises controlling the feed rate of the stranded wire to the melt pool.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 -4, wherein the stranded wire is a multifilament wire, and wherein the multifilament wire comprises from 2 to 200 filaments.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 -5, wherein the first metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten.

7. The method of any one of claims 1 -5, wherein the first pre-alloy comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, and tungsten.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 -7, wherein the first pre-alloy comprises at least one organic compound.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 -8, wherein the stranded wire comprises from10% to 99.99% by weight of the first metal or the first pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 -9, wherein the second metal comprises at least one transitional metal, at least one rare earth metal, or at least one alkaline earth metal, preferably the second metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of aluminum, beryllium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel, niobium, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, gold, hafnium, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, zinc, and zirconium.11 . The method of any one of claims 1 -10, wherein the second pre-alloy composition comprises at least one organic compound.

12. The method of any one of claims 1 -11 , wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001% to 50% by weight of the second metal or the second pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 -12, wherein the stranded wire comprises a third wire filament comprising 95% or more of a third metal or a third pre-alloy, wherein the third metal or a third pre-alloy is different than the first metal or the first prealloy and the second metal or the second pre-alloy.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the third metal comprises at least one transition metal, at least one rare earth metal, at least one alkaline earth metal, preferably the third metal comprises at least one metal selected from the group consisting of beryllium, bismuth, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, copper, gold, hafnium, iron, lead, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, rhenium, scandium, silicon, silver, tantalum, tin, titanium, tungsten, zinc, and zirconium.

15. The method of any one of claims 14 or 15, wherein the stranded wire comprises from 0.001 to 50% of the third metal or the third pre-alloy, based on the total weight of the stranded wire.

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