World’s strongest titanium alloy 3D printed, Chinese researchers say

A team of Chinese and American researchers has made considerable progress. In the conclusions of a study published Wednesday February 28 in the journal Nature, they claim to have succeeded in creating the strongest 3D printed titanium alloy in the world. This would offer 106% resistance to tensile fatigue. Described as a major advance, by their peers, in materials science, this process developed at sample scale – and which is still the subject of research and work – opens the way to new applications of the technology. 3D printing.

An innovative approach

This study, led by Professors Zhang Zhefeng and Zhang Zhenjun of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with Robert Ritchie of the University of California, Berkeley, focused on addressing a key limitation of printing 3D, also called additive manufacturing (AM).

The rest under this advertisement

10 great discoveries that have advanced science

Indeed, although 3D printing has revolutionized manufacturing by enabling the creation of complex shapes with reduced preparation cycles, materials produced by this method generally exhibit poor fatigue performance under cyclic loading.

The researchers, in their study findings, described an innovative approach to making a 3D printed anti-fatigue titanium alloy. This, called “Net-Additive Manufacturing Preparation” (NAMP), involves meticulously regulating the microstructure and defects of the alloy.

The rest under this advertisement

In detail, we learn that this process made it possible to produce a pore-free alloy with a 106% increase in fatigue strength, going from 475 megapascals (MPa) to a world record of 978 MPa.

The researchers, by employing a process including hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and high temperature, short time heat treatment (HTSt), eliminated “microvoids”, which typically form during the printing process . They also managed to restore to this titanium alloy a microstructure almost free of voids.

A promising material for certain industries

If this achievement is particularly remarkable, it is thanks to the exceptional fatigue resistance (the highest observed to date) demonstrated by the Net-AM microstructure.

The rest under this advertisement

“Our hypothesis was that alloys printed under perfect conditions should exhibit superior fatigue performancecontextualizes Zhang Zhenjun, one of the authors of the study, to the South China Morning Post, this Friday, March 1. Achieving this goal seemed simple, at first glance. Yet the simplicity of the task was deceptive. Techniques currently used to eliminate gas pores often result in a coarser internal structure of the alloy.”

The implications of such a breakthrough are considerable. This material (produced on a sample scale for the moment) is particularly promising for industries requiring light but resistant materials, such as the aerospace and automotive industries.

The rest under this advertisement

It could be used in aviation parts. Indeed, as the South China Morning Post points out, the nozzles of NASA rockets and the support frames of the Chinese fighter D-20 were made using 3D printing technology.

Before this material is fully operational, researchers will face certain challenges, but they are resolutely optimistic. “Thicker sections may face limitations, but these advances are sufficient for the fabrication of many thinner and more complex devices”concludes Zhang Zhenjun.

The collaboration between Chinese and American scientists marks a milestone in materials science and paves the way for further advancements in additive manufacturing technology.