Titanium Welding Wire via Solid-State Extrusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and inefficiency of producing titanium components due to the need for extensive melting and processing steps in conventional methods, which results in high material losses and undesirable properties in final products, particularly when using titanium sponge as a feedstock.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing weldable titanium wire by cold compaction and extrusion of titanium sponge without melting, using a uniaxial press to form a billet, followed by heating and extrusion to create a dense bar, and subsequent rolling to achieve the desired wire diameter, eliminating the need for intermediate melting and reducing processing steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional melting and processing steps are used to produce titanium wire from sponge, then the wire can be produced with desired mechanical properties, but the production cost increases significantly and material losses occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental processing parameter from melting to solid-state extrusion. By performing cold compaction followed by hot extrusion at temperatures below the melting point (typically 400-1000°C for titanium), the process avoids the high-cost melting step while producing wire with comparable mechanical properties through plastic deformation and microstructure refinement
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the thermal-melting system with a mechanical-extrusion system. Instead of using electron beams, plasma torches, or arc furnaces to melt the titanium sponge, the process uses uniaxial pressing and extrusion through dies to form the wire directly from compacted sponge particles
2Shape
If extensive machining is performed on mill products to achieve complex final geometry, then the desired component shape is obtained, but material losses increase and production time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary shaping during the extrusion process itself. By configuring the extrusion die with the desired final cross-sectional geometry, the wire is formed directly to specification, eliminating the need for subsequent extensive machining operations and reducing material waste
3Productivity
If titanium sponge particles are fed through conventional processing, then wire can be produced, but the irregular shape and porosity of sponge particles create feeding problems
Solution Approach 1:
The invention maintains the particulate nature of the titanium sponge throughout the process but segments the feeding operation into controlled stages. The irregular particles are first cold compacted into a coherent billet structure, which then feeds smoothly through the extrusion process, eliminating the feeding problems associated with loose irregular particles
4Device complexity
If cold compaction is performed on titanium sponge without encapsulation, then processing simplicity increases, but oxygen contamination may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs cold compaction in an inert or controlled atmosphere (such as argon or vacuum) to prevent oxygen contamination of the titanium sponge particles during handling and compaction, while still avoiding the complexity of encapsulation. The inert environment protects the reactive titanium surface without requiring additional containment structures
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 method produces a weldable titanium wire with chemical composition and mechanical properties comparable to conventional weld wire, using commercially available titanium sponge with fewer processing steps and lower impurity levels, thereby reducing costs and improving flexibility in final wire composition.
Implementation Method 1
cold compacting the sample of particulate material to form a billet
Implementation Method 2
heating the billet up to a temperature in the range from 400-1000° C.
Implementation Method 3
extrude a dense bar of the billet
Implementation Method 4
extrude a dense bar of the billet through a preheated die
Implementation Method 5
subsequent rolling to achieve the desired wire diameter
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing a weldable titanium or titanium alloy wire characterized in that full consolidation of the wire is achieved via solid-state processing entailing compaction, extrusion, and rolling, whereby melting of the constituent titanium sponge particles does not occur.