HIP Container Directional Consolidation Wall
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional containers used in hot isostatic pressing experience non-uniform volume shrinkage during the process, leading to material waste and shape deformation issues, which are undesirable in manufacturing metal billets for high-stress applications like turbines.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a container with an enhanced directional consolidation feature, such as a bellows structure in the wall, allows for preferential axial deformation and shrinkage, reducing material waste and improving shape control by using sleeves to prevent non-axial deformation and machining losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional containers are used in hot isostatic pressing, then the container can be simple in structure and easy to manufacture, but the container experiences non-uniform volume shrinkage leading to material waste and shape deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is segmented into multiple regions with different thicknesses - a first region with greater thickness and a second region with lesser thickness. This segmentation allows different parts of the container to deform differently during hot isostatic pressing, enabling uniform volume shrinkage of the powder while maintaining overall shape control and reducing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the container wall are given different local qualities through varying thickness. The first region has greater thickness to provide structural support and controlled deformation, while the second region has lesser thickness to allow for specific deformation patterns. This local differentiation enables the container to achieve uniform powder shrinkage without excessive material waste.
2Ease of manufacture
If the container wall is made uniformly thick, then the container is easy to manufacture, but non-uniform shrinkage occurs during hot isostatic pressing causing shape deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The container wall is divided into multiple regions with different thicknesses rather than being uniformly thick. This segmentation allows the container to be designed with specific deformation characteristics in different areas, enabling uniform powder shrinkage and better shape control during hot isostatic pressing, while still being manufacturable using standard techniques.
3Productivity
If the container allows free deformation during hot isostatic pressing, then the container can accommodate volume shrinkage, but non-axial deformation occurs requiring extensive machining and material removal
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the container wall are given different local qualities through varying thickness. The first region has greater thickness to provide structural support and controlled deformation, while the second region has lesser thickness to allow for specific deformation patterns. This local differentiation enables the container to achieve uniform powder shrinkage without excessive material waste.
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 solution significantly reduces material waste and enhances shape control during the hot isostatic pressing process, maintaining the integrity and cost-effectiveness of expensive metal powders by allowing controlled deformation and uniform density achievement.
Implementation Method 1
The introduction of a container with an enhanced directional consolidation feature, such as a bellows structure in the wall, allows for preferential axial deformation and shrinkage
Implementation Method 2
The consolidation of these metal powders into a dense mass typically occurs under high pressures and temperatures in a process referred to as hot isostatic pressing ('HIP')
Implementation Method 3
pressures from about 51 MPa to 310 MPa or even higher may be applied to consolidate the metal powder
Implementation Method 4
temperatures as high as about 480° C. to 1315° C.
Implementation Method 5
the selected fluid medium (e.g., an inert gas) applies pressure to the powder at all sides and in all directions
Implementation Method 6
The change in density from a powder to a solid metal also has resulted in a rather dramatic change in volume
Data Source
AI summary
The present application provides a container for use in manufacturing a metal billet from a metal powder in a hot isostatic pressing process. The container may include a top, a bottom, a wall extending between the top and the bottom, an enhanced directional consolidation feature in the wall, and a sleeve positioned about the enhanced directional consolidation feature.