2021 journal article

Electron Beam Melting of Niobium Alloys from Blended Powders

MATERIALS, 14(19).

By: J. Hankwitz n, C. Ledford *, C. Rock n , S. O'Dell* & T. Horn n 

author keywords: niobium; tungsten; zirconium; high-strength metal alloys; plasma spheroidization; additive manufacturing
TL;DR: A custom electron beam powder bed fusion machine was used to demonstrate the processability of blended niobium-based tungsten alloys, with resulting solid optical densities of 99+%. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
Source: Web Of Science
Added: November 8, 2021

Niobium-based tungsten alloys are desirable for high-temperature structural applications yet are restricted in practice by limited room-temperature ductility and fabricability. Powder bed fusion additive manufacturing is one technology that could be leveraged to process alloys with limited ductility, without the need for pre-alloying. A custom electron beam powder bed fusion machine was used to demonstrate the processability of blended Nb-1Zr, Nb-10W-1Zr-0.1C, and Nb-20W-1Zr-0.1C powders, with resulting solid optical densities of 99+%. Ultimately, post-processing heat treatments were required to increase tungsten diffusion in niobium, as well as to attain satisfactory mechanical properties.