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Electron Beam Melting of Niobium Alloys from Blended Powders...

by Jameson P Hankwitz, John C Ledford, Christopher Rock, Scott O'dell, Timothy Horn
Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Materials
Publication Date
Page Number
5536
Volume
14
Issue
19

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.