TiAl-Based Materials by In Situ Selective Laser Melting of Ti/Al Reactive Composites

Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) of refractory materials requires either a high laser power or the use of various easily melting binders. In this work, we propose an alternative—the use of spherical reactive Ti/Al composite particles, obtained by preliminary high-energy ball milling. These powders were used to produce high-temperature TiAl-based materials during the selective laser melting (SLM) process. When laser heating is applied, mechanically activated composite particles readily react with the release of a considerable amount of heat and transform into corresponding intermetallic compounds. The combustion can be initiated at relatively low temperatures, and the exothermic effect prevents the sharp cooling of as-sintered tracks. This approach allows one to produce dense intermetallic materials with a homogeneous structure in one step via SLM and eliminates the need for powerful lasers, binders, or additional post-processing and heat treatments.

Materials Development Using High-Energy Ball Milling: A Review Dedicated to the Memory of M.A. Korchagin

“…In ref. [81], a new approach was proposed: to use the heat of a chemical reaction to add to the laser power. A mixture of Ti and Al powders was subjected to HEBM to produce composite particles.…”

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Multiple In-Situ-Phases-Reinforced Nickel Composite Coatings Deposited by Wide-Band Laser

“…Due to the development of the laser industry, various lasers such as CO 2 laser, Nd: YAG (Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) laser and fiber laser have been successfully applied in the materials processing technologies [17]. Laser cladding, laser welding, laser metal deposition, selected laser melting and also the research hot spot, laser additive manufacturing or laser 3D printing, have been rapidly developed in the last decades [18][19][20]. It is noted that a large number of scholars have carried out research on enhancing the surface properties of low-cost alloys through laser-cladding-deposited MMCs.…”