Patent Grant
7144441
The present invention generally relates to a process for forming dispersion-strengthened materials. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for dispersing nanoparticles within a liquid-phase material, such as a molten metal, which on solidification yields a body having a uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles.
Dispersion strengthening phases that are relatively stable in metallic systems are of interest for a variety of structural applications. The potent strengthening effect of AlN precipitates in bulk beta-NiAl alloys and of oxide dispersion-strengthening (ODS) in superalloys has been demonstrated. Examples of the latter include the commercially-available MA754 and MA6000 alloys. To provide a sufficient level of dispersion strengthening, fine dispersoid particles (such as oxides, nitrides, etc.) must be present in a volume fraction and distribution such that the mean free path between particles is sufficiently small to retard the motion of dislocations. However, the incorporation of a relatively uniform, fine-scale distribution of small dispersoid particles into a base metal is difficult, particularly as the size of the particles is reduced. In particular, nano-sized particles (having a dimension of less than a micrometer) tend to agglomerate and not mix in a molten metal pool due to the difference in density between the nanoparticles and the molten material. As a result, it is extremely difficult for nanoparticles initially dispersed in a molten metal to be entrapped during solidification so as to be uniformly dispersed in the solidified metal. A significantly non-uniform distribution of dispersoid does not yield optimum mechanical performance.
Two methods for producing nanoparticle ODS materials have found commercial use, both involving solid-state metal processing. The more frequently used method is a mechanical alloying process that involves a controlled oxidation of metal powder, whose oxide surface layer is fractured and distributed throughout the remaining metal powder by ball-mill grinding. This process may be conducted at ambient, elevated, or cryogenic temperatures, depending on the type of base material being used and the type of dispersion-strengthened material being produced. A disadvantage of the mechanical alloying method is the cost resulting from the long hours of high-energy milling required to disperse the nanoparticles. The second commercial method for producing ODS materials involves internal oxidation and precipitation of oxide particles from a supersaturated metal matrix. However, this method is effectively limited to use with metal systems having solute elements with high thermodynamic stability of oxides and sufficient combinations of oxygen diffusivity and section thicknesses to effectively produce a sufficiently uniform dispersion. Each of the above available techniques for manufacturing dispersion-strengthened materials also have significant process limitations resulting from the need to produce the dispersoid in the solid state rather than the liquid state.
In view of the above, it would be desirable if alternative methods were available by which materials dispersion-strengthened with nanoparticle materials can be manufactured from the molten state. It would be particularly desirable if such a method could make use of a wide variety of combinations of dispersion-strengthening phases and matrix materials, and produce nanoparticle dispersion-strengthened materials in various forms, including finely-divided and bulk form.
The present invention provides a method for forming a dispersion-strengthened material containing nanoparticles (nano-scale particles) that are substantially uniformly dispersed in a matrix phase. The method includes adding nanoparticles to a pool of a molten material within a container that is rotating to create a vortex convection action in the pool. The convection vortex is sufficient to cause the nanoparticles to be incorporated into the molten material so as to yield a molten composite material with a uniform dispersion of the nanoparticles, and further causes the molten composite material to be ejected from the container. The molten composite material is rapidly cooled after ejection from the container, so that a solid composite body is formed comprising the nanoparticles uniformly dispersed in a solidified matrix phase.
According to one aspect of the invention, the molten composite material solidifies to form the solid composite body by contacting a surface (e.g., of a mold) after being ejected from the container. In this manner, the molten composite material is effectively centrifugally spin-cast directly onto the surface. If the surface is that of an appropriately configured mold, the resulting solid composite body can be in the form of a near-net-shape body, a preform or mill product (e.g., a slab, plate or ring). According to another aspect of the invention, the molten composite material solidifies in-flight after being ejected from the container, such that the molten composite material is centrifugally spin-cast into a finely divided form, such as powder particles, flakes, wires or ribbons. Any one or more of these finely-divided forms can be consolidated by thermomechanical techniques (e.g., hot pressing, sintering, HIPing, extrusion, forging, etc.) into bulk near-net-shape components, preforms, or mill product forms containing well-dispersed nanoparticles. Whether the intent is to produce a dispersion-strengthened solid composite body in bulk or finely-divided form, centrifugal mixing of the nanoparticles in the molten material serves to uniformly disperse the nanoparticles, and rapid solidification of the resulting molten composite material initiated by centrifugal ejection from the mixing container ensures that the nanoparticles remain substantially uniformly dispersed during solidification, so that the nanoparticles are also uniformly dispersed in the resulting solid composite body.
In view of the above, it can be seen that a significant advantage of this invention is that it provides a method by which nanoparticle dispersion-strengthened materials can be produced in a finely-divided or bulk form at less expense than conventional mechanically-alloyed ODS materials. If in bulk form, dispersion-strengthened materials can be directly produced as near-net-shape components, preforms or bulk products, thereby avoiding or at least reducing the cost of consolidation, machining, and other operations. The type of dispersion strengthening phase is limited only by availability and compatibility with the matrix phase. Matrix materials that can be used in the method of this invention include phase compositions that are of a more conventional cast or cast-and-wrought type, as well significantly more highly alloyed matrix compositions that can only be effectively produced by rapid solidification techniques. Rapid solidification rates possible with the method of this invention also enable a variety of high-strength matrix materials to be dispersion-strengthened. In addition, appropriate deposition conditions can be employed so that the matrix phase solidifies at a sufficiently rapid rate to have an ultra-fine grain size or ultra-fine grain-sized phases, including nano-sized and amorphous microstructures. The present invention also provides the option for producing bulk product forms with a graded dispersoid spacing and volume fraction in any given direction by varying the rate at which the nanoparticles are added to the molten material.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be better appreciated from the following detailed description.
The crucible 10 is caused to spin at a sufficient rate so that the centrifugal force applied by the nanoparticle-filled molten composite material 18 to the wall of the crucible 10 creates a convection vortex 20 within the pool 16, which causes the nanoparticles 12 to immerse and mix into the molten material 14 and thereafter maintains the nanoparticles 12 as a uniform dispersion within the molten material 14. The wall of the crucible 10 is equipped with one or more orifices (nozzles) 22, such that the centrifugal force applied by the pool 16 also causes the molten composite material 18 to be ejected from the crucible 10 through one or more of the orifices 22. In
In the production of finely-divided particles, flakes, wires, ribbons or other similar materials, processing conditions are used such that the molten composite material 18 quickly solidifies after ejection from the orifices 22 (in-flight) to entrap the nanoparticles 12 in a rapidly solidified matrix phase. In contrast,
Depending on the type of mold 28 (or other surface) used, the bulk material 30 can be deposited to form a near-net-shaped component, a preform that can be subsequently processed to form a component, or a mill product such as a slab, plate, or ring, which can be further processed (e.g., forged, machined, coated, heat-treated, etc.) to produce a desired component. Furthermore, the mold 28 (or other surface) can have the shape of a cylinder or plate that can be mounted vertically or horizontally, and can be rotated or translated, so as to increase the size of the deposited area. As implicated in
With each of the embodiments depicted in
The nanoparticles 12 employed by this invention can have a variety of sizes and compositions. The convection vortex 20 maintained within the crucible 10 is able to disperse particles of extremely fine size, such that nanoparticles as small as about 10 nm can be relatively uniformly dispersed. Particle sizes within a range of about 10 to about 100 nm are of particular interest from the standpoint of processability and strengthening. Suitable compositions for the nanoparticles 12 include oxides, carbides, nitrides, oxycarbides, oxynitrides, carbonitrides, borides, phosphides, intermetallics, and complex combinations of such constituents that are preferably stable during the time the nanoparticles 12 are in contact with the molten material 14 within the pool 16 and the solidified matrix phase of the solidified bodies 24 and bulk material 30, such that the nanoparticles 12 do not undergo any substantial change in quantity, chemistry or size. Because they are not formed in-situ, the nanoparticles 12 can be compounds of elements other than those present in the molten material 14 with which the particles 12 are combined.
A wide variety of matrix materials can be employed with this invention, including conventional cast and cast-and-wrought metal alloys, alloys previously produced only by powder metallurgy techniques, and alloys previously only produced using conventional rapid solidification (RS) techniques. Such materials include but are not limited to aluminum, nickel, cobalt, iron, magnesium, titanium, and copper and their alloys. Cooling rates achievable with this invention can be greater than many conventional casting techniques, making possible the production of solid bodies 24 and bulk materials 30 having finer as-produced matrix grain sizes (e.g., nano-size) than possible with prior art techniques for dispersing nanoparticles in a matrix phase. This aspect of the invention can also permit the use of higher matrix alloying element content, so that additional precipitation-strengthening occurs in the matrix phase during cooling or subsequent thermal processing.
While the invention has been described in terms of one or more particular embodiments, it is apparent that other forms could be adopted by one skilled in the art. Furthermore, the methods of this invention can be employed to produce components for a variety of applications, particularly notable examples of which include components of a gas turbine engine, e.g., rings, cases, blades, vanes, disks, shafts, liners, etc. Therefore, the scope of the invention is to be limited only by the following claims.
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4540546 | Giessen | Sep 1985 | A |
| 5534086 | Andrus | Jul 1996 | A |
| 5635654 | Hebsur et al. | Jun 1997 | A |
| 5908486 | Flinn et al. | Jun 1999 | A |
| 6251159 | Angeliu et al. | Jun 2001 | B1 |
| 6939388 | Angeliu | Sep 2005 | B1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 8203809 | Nov 1982 | WO |
| WO-0037241 | Jun 2000 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20050000319 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |
