Titanium Alloy Wire Feedstock for High-Strength Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire feedstocks for titanium alloys used in additive manufacturing are costly and have reduced tensile and fatigue strength compared to wrought processed materials, making them unsuitable for producing large aerospace components with high strength requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving mixing titanium, iron, vanadium, and aluminum powders to form a sintered billet, followed by wire forming and heat treatment to produce a heat-treated wire suitable for additive manufacturing, which includes processes like rotary swaging, rolling, extrusion, and heat treatments such as annealing or aging, to enhance mechanical properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If existing wire feedstocks are used for titanium alloy additive manufacturing, then production cost is reduced, but tensile strength and fatigue strength are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the wire feedstock by precisely controlling the content of alloying elements (Al: 5-10 wt%, V: 15-20 wt%, Fe: 2-5 wt%, Sn: 1-3 wt%) to achieve both high strength and cost-effectiveness. This compositional optimization allows the material to attain tensile strength ≥1000 MPa and fatigue strength ≥500 MPa while using readily available alloying elements in optimized proportions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite titanium alloy system (Ti-Al-V-Fe-Sn) that combines multiple elements to achieve superior mechanical properties. The synergistic interaction between aluminum (strengthening), vanadium (solid solution strengthening), iron (precipitation hardening), and tin (grain boundary strengthening) produces a composite material structure that delivers both high strength and cost efficiency compared to conventional single-element additions.
2Strength
If wire feedstocks are used for additive manufacturing, then large parts can be produced, but tensile strength and fatigue strength are reduced compared to wrought processed material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the chemical composition parameters to achieve tensile strength ≥1000 MPa and fatigue strength ≥500 MPa, matching wrought material performance. The controlled alloying content creates a microstructure that maintains high strength while being suitable for wire-based additive manufacturing processes, enabling large part production without strength compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent achieves uniform distribution of alloying elements throughout the wire feedstock through precise mixing and processing control. This homogeneous composition ensures consistent mechanical properties (tensile strength ≥1000 MPa, fatigue strength ≥500 MPa) throughout the entire wire length, enabling reliable additive manufacturing of large components with uniform strength characteristics.
3Stability of the object's composition
If conventional powder blend sintering is used, then macro segregation occurs, but production cost is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary blending of titanium powder with alloying elements (Al, V, Fe, Sn) before sintering, ensuring uniform distribution of all elements throughout the powder mixture. This pre-mixing step, combined with controlled sintering parameters (temperature: 900-1600°F, atmosphere: vacuum or inert gas), prevents macro segregation during the sintering process and achieves homogeneous composition in the final sintered billet.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes sintering parameters including temperature range (900-1600°F), atmosphere control (vacuum or inert gas), and holding time to achieve complete bonding without excessive element diffusion that would cause segregation. These controlled parameter changes maintain composition uniformity while producing dense, high-strength sintered billets suitable for wire drawing.
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 reduces production costs and overcomes macro segregation issues, resulting in high-strength titanium alloy components with improved tensile and fatigue strength, suitable for large aerospace parts like landing gear components.
Implementation Method 1
sintering the powder blend to form a billet
Implementation Method 2
The heat treated wire may undergo at least one of a beta phase transformation, a beta anneal, or an alpha-beta anneal during the heat treatment or the intermediate heat treatment
Implementation Method 3
the heat treatment or the intermediate heat treatment includes at least one of annealing, solutionizing, or aging
Data Source
AI summary
A method of titanium wire additive manufacturing is disclosed. The method may comprise mixing a plurality of powdered metals comprising titanium, iron, vanadium, and aluminum to produce a powder blend, sintering the powder blend to form a billet, performing a wire forming operation to produce a worked wire, heat treating the worked wire to produce a heat treaded wire, loading the heat treated wire into a wirefeed additive manufacturing machine, and producing a metallic component from the heat treated wire. The titanium may be a titanium hydride powder.