Patent Application
20240269885
The present application claims the priority of the prior application No. 202310152026.7 submitted to China National Intellectual Property Administration on Feb. 10, 2023, which is entitled “ceramic component or ceramic/metal components, manufacturing method therefor and applications thereof”. The entire content of the prior application is incorporated herein by reference.
The present disclosure belongs to the technical field of ceramics, concerns a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component and a manufacturing method therefor and applications thereof, and particularly concerns a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component, and a 2D/3D/4D additive-subtractive manufacturing method thereof and applications thereof in aerospace and other fields.
The development of high-temperature structural materials is limited by their extremely high melting points and the challenging processes involved in building complicated architectures. The evolution of printable polymeric precursor materials has facilitated the emergence of 3D printing technologies for high-temperature materials such as ceramics, glass, and metals. Four-dimensional (4D) printing has helped enhance the geometrical flexibility of ceramics. However, the existing ceramic 4D printing systems are limited by a number of the following factors: the separate processes required for shape and material transformations, low accuracy of morphing systems, low resolution of ceramic structures, and time-intensive nature. Furthermore, SiOC is not a good material for the applications at temperatures above 1200° ° C., because it is amorphous and softens at temperatures above 1200° C. Novel materials and methods need to be developed to solve the thermal performance of SiOC-based ceramic material systems for 3D/4D additive-subtractive manufacturing in aerospace and other high-temperature applications.
In view of the state of the prior art, the present disclosure provides a novel method for manufacturing a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component, and provides a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal components manufactured by the method, the component being particularly suitable for applications in aerospace and other high-temperature fields. Specifically, the present disclosure provides the following scheme:
Provided is a method for manufacturing a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component, comprising:
The present disclosure also provides a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component manufactured by the method described above.
The present disclosure also further provides applications of the ceramic component or the ceramic/metal component, which is applied to the aerospace or other high-temperature fields: in particular, it can be applied to aerospace turbine blades or blisk, morphing thermal protection systems, space origami systems, on-orbit manufacturing and repair, or in situ space printing and colonization.
Other systems, methods, and features of the present disclosure become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, and features be included within this specification and be within the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component, which relates to a novel paradigm involving the one-step shape/material transformation of ceramics from noncontact stimuli and synergies between the manufacturing speed, resolution, and scalability, and effectively promotes the further evolution of ceramic 4D printing in the aerospace and other high-temperature fields. Specifically, the present disclosure broadens the applications of ceramic and ceramic/metal components in the aerospace and other high-temperature fields, and mainly including all-ceramic aerospace turbine blisk, morphing thermal protection systems, space origami systems, on-orbit manufacturing and repair, in situ space printing and colonization.
Specifically, the present disclosure provides a paradigm for in situ 4D additive-subtractive manufacturing of ceramics in aerospace fields, wherein the manufacturing process has the characteristics of e one-step-shape/material-transformation, high 2D surface quality, high 3D structural resolution, high 4D morphing precision, high efficiency, and high scalability. According to the present disclosure, a ceramic coating material is further deposited on the surface of 3D/4D printed ceramic structures, so that the ceramics with complex structures exhibit relatively high flame ablation performance. The proposed paradigm can be extended to other high-temperature materials.
The method proposed in the present disclosure can ensure high scalability (16 cm), high resolution (6 μm), ultrafast transformation to high-temperature materials (in several seconds), and rapid manufacturing of precursor materials (mass production capability).
The present disclosure develops the concept of 2D/3D/4D precursor polishing with versatile high-energy beam and mechanical grinding tools for the first time, and high-surface-quality and high-temperature materials can be obtained.
Furthermore, the proposed paradigm can be applied to ceramics, glass, metals and composite materials: the present disclosure also provides at least four different methods for achieving 3D/4D printing/manufacturing of ceramic/metal composite structures for the first time, unlike existing strategies that are typically limited to only one or two types of high-temperature materials. Therefore, the research can broaden the application scope of the high-temperature structural materials in aerospace and other high-temperature fields.
The patent or application file contains at least one drawing/photograph executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application with color drawing(s)/photograph(s) will be provided by the Office upon request and payment of the necessary fee.
The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, but emphasize clearly illustrating principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
As described above, the present disclosure discloses a method for manufacturing a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component, which comprises:
In the present disclosure, the ceramic component or the ceramic/metal component in the step 2) is a kind of components having high precision and a complex shape.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the step 1-1), the step 1-1′) and the step 1-1″), the ceramic precursor material comprises a polymer, or a polymer composite consisting of polymer matrix and fillers.
In some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the step 1-1′), the metal precursor material comprises a polymer, or a polymer composite consisting of polymer matrix and metal fillers. In some embodiments, the polymers or polymer matrix include silicone materials, cellulose, or combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, the filler comprises a ceramic material, or a metal material, or combination thereof, and the fillers comprise powders, fibers, whiskers, plates, or combinations thereof.
Illustratively, the ceramic material comprises ZrO2, AION, AlN, Al2O3, SiC, Si3N4, or a combination of two or more thereof: illustratively, the metal material comprises at least one of Fe or other metal materials.
In some embodiments, the metal filler comprises ZrO2, AION, AlN, Al2O3, SiC, Si3N4, or combinations thereof, and at least one of Fe or other metal materials.
In some embodiments, the composite material is manufactured after the polymer matrix is mixed with the filler.
In some specific embodiments, in the step 1-2), the step 1-2′) and the step 1-2″), the precursor object is manufactured using an additive manufacturing process:
or, the precursor object is manufactured by an additive manufacturing process in combination with at least one of the following processes: a subtractive manufacturing process and a surface engineering process.
In some specific embodiments, the additive manufacturing process includes extrusion printing, blade coating, or a combination thereof. Specifically, the material used in the additive manufacturing process is a ceramic precursor, a metal precursor, or a combination thereof.
In some specific embodiments, in the step 1-2), the step 1-2′) and the step 1-2″), the precursor object is obtained by 2D printing or 3D printing using an ink system (specifically, a well-designed ink systems).
In some specific embodiments, the subtractive manufacturing process includes engraving, cutting, surface polishing, or a combination thereof.
Specifically, the surface polishing includes 2D polishing, 3D polishing, 4D polishing, or a combination thereof.
Specifically, in the step 1-2), the step 1-2′) and the step 1-2″), the surface polishing is integrated with an additive manufacturing process to form an additive-subtractive manufacturing system for a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component.
Specifically, a tool used in the subtractive manufacturing process comprises high-energy beam, mechanical grinding tools, or combinations thereof. Illustratively, the high-energy beam comprises a laser beam, a water beam, or a combination thereof.
In some specific embodiments, the surface engineering process includes ultraviolet/ozone exposure, physical vapor deposition, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, or a combination thereof.
Specifically, the ultraviolet/ozone exposure area may be locally adjusted.
In some specific embodiments, in the step 1-2), the step 1-2′) and the step 1-2″), a combination of additive manufacturing and surface engineering can be employed to construct the precursor object. As shown in
The precursors were 3D printed using well-designed ink systems, and subtractive manufacturing techniques with a high-energy beam (e.g., laser beam) can enhance the manufacturing precision, resulting in a high-resolution additive-subtractive manufacturing system.
In some specific embodiments, the 3D printed precursors were laser engraved or cut using the optimal laser scanning strategy pertaining to a certain laser scanning power and speed and subjected to heat treatment to obtain high-temperature structural materials. With the invention of novel precursor material systems and precursor laser engraving/cutting (PLE/PLC) methods, the machining processes of high-temperature materials have become cost-efficient and environmentally friendly with high-resolution capacities. Based on ASM, a paradigm for precise, scalable, and rapid in situ 4D printing of high-temperature materials has been developed by tuning the heterogeneous precursors. The rapid one-step shape/material transformation of heterogeneous structural precursors was realized in a heating furnace. Owing to the different thermal expansion and shrinkage behaviors of heterogeneous structural precursors, the ceramic precursor was transformed in terms of both the shape and material components when subjected to thermal treatment (
The laser machining technique is used to generate high-resolution features and tune the stiffness of the structures. Next, a thin film is created on the surface of the sample, and the film thickness is tuned by changing the processing time in an ultraviolet (UV)/ozone system. The sample is then subjected to heat treatment in inert gas or vacuum conditions. The thermal expansion and shrinkage behaviors of the 2D UV/ozone film material and 3D printed precursor material are different, and this heterogeneity leads to shape transformation of the precursor structures.
In some specific embodiments, Mode 3 specifically comprises: firstly, preparing a metal object and a ceramic precursor object, and the two objects having different textures; and then assembling the metal object and the ceramic precursor object to obtain a heterogeneous object.
In some embodiments, in Mode 3, an assembly of the printed ceramic precursor coating and the metal structure is achieved by wrapping: still specifically, the assembly of the printed ceramic precursor coating and the metal structure (such as a nickel-based alloy turbine blisk) by wrapping is achieved by adjusting a reserved space for the shrinkage effect in the process of converting the precursor into the ceramic, namely, the assembly is achieved by reserving a shrinkage space. Also specifically, as shown in
[Conversion of Heterogeneous Object into Ceramic Component or Ceramic/Metal Component]
In some specific embodiments, there is 4D morphing in the step 2).
In some specific embodiments, in the step 2), the ceramic or the ceramic/metal object may be obtained by heat treatment.
In some specific embodiments, in the step 2), the ceramic or the ceramic/metal object may be obtained by 4D printing.
In situ 4D printing can achieve geometrical flexibility and high morphing precision for advanced structural ceramics and can be used in high-temperature applications such as aerospace propulsion.
Process, and 4D Printing]
In a specific embodiment, through local UV/ozone exposure, 12 blades with flat surfaces were simultaneously programmed to achieve twisting deformations with a high repeatability, resulting in a flower-like symmetrical structure.
In a specific embodiment, the following heat treatment process is used: heating the manufactured heterogeneous ceramic precursor to 1000° C. for 2 hours in a heating furnace under vacuum, and then cooling to the ambient temperature: wherein the heating and cooling rates are 5° C. min−1 and 10° C. min−1, respectively.
With the use of the method of the present disclosure, the ceramic engine turbine disk and 12 blades are in situ 4D printed as a single piece without the need for an assembly process (see
The concept of in situ 4D printing and integrated shaping for the all-ceramic aerospace turbine bladed disk (blisk) is a valuable route for developing advanced and intelligent aerospace propulsion components with a high system efficiency, low lifecycle cost, and decreased environmental pollution. First, the proposed in situ 4D printing technique for high-temperature materials overcomes the limitations typically encountered in fabricating geometrically complex large-scale (as large as 16 cm) propulsion components with topologically lightweight designs by using conventional wrought, casting, welding, and subtractive manufacturing (
In some specific embodiments, precursor subtractive manufacturing and in situ 4D printing techniques are applied to post-treatment of additive manufactured (e.g., 3D printed) structures to solve step effects caused by layer-by-layer additive manufacturing. High-energy beams or mechanical grinding tools may be used for surface polishing to eliminate the step effects of 3D printed precursor materials.
The subtractive manufacturing of precursors and in situ 4D printing technique can be applied in the post-processing of printed structures to address stair-step effect resulting from layer-wise AM. High-energy beams or mechanical grinding tools can be used for surface polishing and eliminating the stair-step effect of 3D printed precursor materials. In this manner, smoother surfaces of similar or deformed structures can be obtained upon shrinkage during material transformation to high-temperature materials (
In some specific embodiments, the integration of precursor polishing and 4D morphing provides a new route to prepare high-surface-quality high-temperature materials with complex shapes. For example, the polishing of the flat surface of the blades in a blisk is easier than polishing curved surfaces. The surface roughness of the curved blade was decreased by 65% and 37% through mechanical grinding and laser polishing, respectively (
In some specific embodiments, the concept of 2D/3D/4D precursor polishing can be integrated with the AM process to form an ASM system (
The ink system in the DIW technique can be easily tuned, which leads to considerable flexibility in terms of the material selection and performance optimization for high-temperature applications (
The resulting Al2O3-deposited ZrO2—SiOC (
As described above, the present disclosure also discloses a method for manufacturing a ceramic/metal component, which comprises one of the following two modes:
In Mode I, a ceramic/metal component is manufactured, wherein an interior of the component is a metal object, and an exterior of the component is a ceramic-based object: the metal object and the ceramic-based object are assembled together, and the assembly of the metal object and the ceramic-based object is achieved according to a difference of thermal expansion coefficients of the metal object and the ceramic-based object: specifically, as shown in
For Mode II, in the step Ib), a ceramic-based object is manufactured in a manner known in the prior art or in a manner as defined in the present disclosure for manufacturing a ceramic component.
In Mode II, as shown in
As described above, the present disclosure also provides a ceramic component or a ceramic/metal component manufactured by the method described above.
The ceramic component or the ceramic/metal component manufactured in the present disclosure has low density, high hardness and excellent thermal performance (
In some specific embodiments, the ceramic component may be a full ceramic aerospace turbine blisk.
Specifically, a structure of the full ceramic aerospace turbine blisk can achieve a lightweight design by the method of the present disclosure.
In some specific embodiments, the ceramic component has a 4D printed ceramic structure, or the ceramic/metal component has a 4D printed ceramic/metal composite structure.
In some specific embodiments, the use of the full ceramic aerospace turbine blade disk (i.e., blisk) of the present disclosure may help to increase the thrust-weight ratio and overall efficiency of an engine in an environmentally friendly manner while reducing oil consumption.
In addition, through the integrated molding of the blisk, assembly time and cycle costs may be reduced, and clearances between components of the propulsion system (
In some specific embodiments, the ceramic/metal object has a composite structure.
Specifically, the composite structure is a ceramic/metal composite structure in a turbine blade for aerospace applications.
In some specific embodiments, the composite structure comprises an assembly of a printed ceramic precursor coating and an Ni-based alloy turbine blade by wrapping, an assembly of a printed ceramic coating and an Ni-based alloy turbine blade by wrapping, and casting of an Ni-based alloy into a printed ceramic turbine blade.
In the present disclosure, a ceramic coating material is deposited on a ceramic surface of the ceramic component or the ceramic/metal component by using atomic layer deposition to enhance high-temperature performance.
The ink system in the DIW technique can be easily tuned, which leads to considerable flexibility in terms of the material selection and performance optimization for high-temperature applications (
In some specific embodiments, the ceramic coating material may be, for example, Al2O3. Specifically, the present disclosure provides a method for enhancing high-temperature performance by atomic layer deposition (ALD) of amorphous Al2O3, as shown in
The resulting Al2O3-deposited ZrO2—SiOC (
As described above, the ceramic component or the ceramic/metal component of the present disclosure has an extremely wide application field, and can be applied to the aerospace or other high-temperature fields. Specifically, it can be applied to shape memory and reconfigurable ceramics for morphing thermal protection systems, space origami systems, on-orbit manufacturing and repair, in situ space printing and colonization.
The proposed approach can ensure high scalability (16 cm), high resolution (6 μm), ultrafast transformation to high-temperature materials (in several seconds), and rapid manufacturing of precursor materials (mass production capability). The concept of 2D/3D/4D precursor polishing
with versatile high-energy beam and mechanical grinding tools was developed for the first time
to obtain high-surface-quality high-temperature materials. Furthermore, the proposed paradigm
can be applied to ceramic, glass, metal, and composite materials, unlike the existing strategies that are typically limited to one or two types of high-temperature materials. Thus, the study can
broaden the application scope of high-temperature structural materials in the aerospace and other fields (
The concept of in situ 4D printing can be applied in space exploration, for instance, in morphing thermal protection systems (
The proposed concept can be used in space for the on-orbit manufacturing of ultra-high-performance turbine blades or the on-orbit repair (such as additive remanufacturing) of heat shields and other essential parts that may fail in a long-term mission (
The proposed 4D printing concept can also be applied for in situ space printing and colonization (
Certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the structure, function, manufacture, and use principle of the component and manufacturing method therefor disclosed herein. One or more of these embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. Those skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in the drawings are non-limiting exemplary embodiments. The features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments. Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the present disclosure, similarly-numbered components of various embodiments generally have similar features when those components have similar properties and/or serve similar purposes.
For the ceramic materials, the inks for the precursors shown in
Green Multiple Purpose Silicone Sealant). The ink for the precursors shown in
For the Fe alloy materials, the ink for precursors consisted of iron powder (5-9 μm, Strem Chemicals, Inc., 70 wt %) and cellulose (Shanghai Macklin Biochemical Co., Ltd.). The Fe alloys were obtained by heating the dried precursors to 800° C. for 2 hours and cooling the samples to ambient temperature in a resistance heating furnace with an argon flow of 200 mL min−1. The heating and cooling rates were 5° C. min−1 and 10° C. min−1, respectively. The resultant Fe alloy had an average composition of Fe45O39C16, measured by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS).
In situ 4D additive-subtractive manufacturing (ASM)
For the 4D printing and integrated shaping of the ceramic blisk, as shown in
Flame ablation testing Samples with cylindrical woodpile structure of the ceramic precursor material (cylinder diameter, 15 mm: cylinder height, 5.88 mm: nozzle diameter, 0.6 mm: layer thickness, 0.42 mm: center—to center ligament spacing, 1 mm) were 3D printed using DIW technique. The printed precursors were cured at 150° C. for 30 minutes in an oven, and then heated to 1300° C. for 2 hours, followed by cooling to ambient temperature under vacuum in a resistance heating furnace.
Samples with cylindrical woodpile structure of the IN718 alloy (cylinder diameter, 10.7 mm; cylinder height, 4.2 mm: ligament diameter, 0.3 mm: center-to-center ligament spacing, 0.71 mm) were 3D printed using selective laser melting technique.
For ALD process, stoichiometric Al2O3 thin films were deposited on 3D printed ceramics by using a homemade thermal ALD system. First, the cleaned ceramic specimens were placed in the reaction chamber, and the chamber was evacuated to a base pressure less than 0.3 Pa. High purity argon gas was used to purge the reaction chamber. The reaction chamber was heated at a rate of 1° C./min until the temperature stabilized at 180ºC. To deposit the Al2O3 thin films, trimethylaluminum and water precursors were used as reactants, and argon was used as the carrier and purging gas. After the deposition, the reaction chamber was cooled in vacuum, and the treated specimens were extracted from the chamber by venting after the chamber temperature decreased to less than 50° C.
For TBC process, the superalloy IN718 samples were used as the substrate material. Commercial NiCrAlY powders (No. 9624, Sulzer-Metco) were used for bond coating. Agglomerated and sintered ZrO2−7 wt. % Y2O3 (7YSZ) powders used for the top ceramic coating were provided by H. C. Starck (AMPERIT™ 827). Prior to bond coating, the substrates were degreased and cleaned with gasoline and ethanol, followed by grit blasting with alumina at a pressure of 0.2 MPa. Subsequently, the samples with bond and ceramic coatings were prepared using an atmospheric plasma spray (APS, MF-P1000, GTV, Germany). The thickness values of the bond and top ceramic coatings were approximately 50 and 80 μm, respectively.
For flame ablation testing process, the testing sample was fixed on the setup, with the front surface facing the flame gun. After ignition, high-temperature gas formed at the nozzle of the gas gun, and the gas gun advanced to heat the surface of the sample. The surface temperature of the sample was monitored in real time by using an infrared thermometer. When the sample temperature reached the target temperature, the heat preservation stage was initiated. In this stage, the system dynamically changed the gas flow through an automatic feedback adjustment system to maintain the temperature balance. After the heat preservation stage, the spray gun was withdrawn, and the sample surface was cooled by compressed air. The data point in
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM, Titan Themis 200/Strata 400S, FEI) analysis was performed to characterize the NCADP structure of ceramics. The focused ion beam (FIB, 450S/Talos F200, FEI) technique was used to prepare the TEM samples. Optical profiler measurements (NPFLEX, Bruker) were obtained for the laser-engraved samples to determine the 3D morphology.
The aforementioned description of the present disclosure is provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. These embodiments are chosen and described in order to better explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to understand the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure and its equivalents be defined by the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202310152026.7 | Feb 2023 | CN | national |
