Reference Standards With Embedded Defects for Titanium MIM Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current nondestructive inspection (NDI) standards lack effectiveness for detecting internal voids and porosity defects in titanium metal injection molding (MIM) parts, and existing methods for manufacturing reference standards are plagued by alignment, tolerance, and gapping issues, as well as high costs and impracticality for production use.
Innovation Solution
The development of reference standards with known defects involves positioning a contaminant material between metallic bodies and diffusion bonding them to create a seamless interface, allowing for the creation of reference standards with internal defects that can be used for NDI, including methods like metal injection molding and sintering of contaminated metallic powders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If drilling material out and refilling with a plug containing the defect is used to manufacture reference standards, then known defects can be introduced for NDI validation, but alignment, tolerance and gapping issues interfere with a clean radiographic signal
Solution Approach 1:
The reference standard is divided into two separate metallic bodies that are diffusion bonded together, with the contaminant material positioned at the bonding interface. This segmentation eliminates the need for drilling and plugging operations, avoiding alignment and gapping issues while maintaining reliable defect representation for NDI validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference standard comprises a composite structure of two metallic bodies bonded together with contaminant material at the interface. This composite approach creates a seamless interface that eliminates gapping issues while maintaining the integrity of the known defect for accurate radiographic signaling.
2Measurement precision
If CT scanning is used to detect and locate defects within consolidated titanium powder metallurgy parts, then defect detection capability is improved, but high system and labor cost and long acquisition time make it impractical for production inspection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates disposable reference standards with known defects that can be used for rapid validation of NDI methods. These reference standards enable quick go/no-go disposition without requiring expensive and time-consuming CT scanning, thus improving productivity for production inspection while maintaining measurement precision through validated methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference standards are pre-manufactured with known defects at specific locations and characteristics. This preliminary action allows for rapid validation of NDI methods during production inspection, eliminating the need for time-consuming CT scanning while maintaining detection accuracy through pre-characterized defect standards.
3Ease of manufacture
If defects open to the surface are used in reference standards, then manufacturing is simplified, but they are not properly representative of the behavior of defects internal to the material
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reference standard into two bonded metallic bodies with contaminant material at the interface, the patent creates internal defects that are not open to the surface. This approach maintains ease of manufacture through the bonding process while accurately representing the behavior of internal defects in consolidated powder metallurgy parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of two metallic bodies bonded with contaminant material creates internal defects that accurately represent subsurface defect behavior. This composite approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while improving reliability by creating defects that are not open to the surface, better simulating real-world internal defects.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides a cost-effective and practical means to validate NDI methods by creating standards that accurately represent internal defects, improving the reliability and efficiency of defect detection in titanium MIM parts, suitable for production inspection.
Implementation Method 1
diffusion bonding the first bonding surface of the first metallic body to the second bonding surface of the second metallic body to yield a bonded article
Implementation Method 2
sintering the shaped metallic powder composition to yield a consolidated article
Data Source
AI summary
Reference standards that include known defects for use in nondestructive inspection are disclosed. In one example, the reference standard includes a metallic body, a another metallic body and a predetermined quantity of a contaminant material. The metallic bodies are diffusion bonded along a seamless interface. The predetermined quantity of a contaminant material has a predetermined composition positioned at a predetermined location proximate the seamless interface. Methods for manufacturing the reference standards are also disclosed. In one example, a method for manufacturing the reference standard includes positioning a predetermined quantity of a contaminant material having a predetermined composition between a bonding surface of a metallic body and another bonding surface of another metallic body. The two bonding surface are diffusion bonded to yield a bonded article (e.g., a reference standard).