Inconel 718-W7Ni3Fe bimetallic structures using directed energy deposition-based additive manufacturing

ABSTRACT

Bimetallic structures produced via additive manufacturing (AM) have demonstrated outstanding potential for improving the properties of high-temperature structures. To this end, it was hypothesised in this study that using a tungsten alloy would increase the thermal conductivity of the bimetallic structure compared to pure Inconel 718. Bimetallic structures of Inconel 718 and W7Ni3Fe were manufactured using directed energy deposition (DED)-based AM. Hardness, thermal analysis by diffusivity measurement, and compression testing were done to evaluate the effect of tungsten alloy deposition on Inconel 718's thermal and mechanical properties. Bimetallic structures of Inconel 718-W alloy containing a 50–50 volume % of each displayed a 100% improvement in thermal diffusivity compared to pure Inconel 718, with extensive mixing and remelting due to laser processing. Furthermore, the bimetallic compression samples showed a 100% increase in yield strength combined with a 50% reduction in modulus of elasticity compared to Inconel 718.

KEYWORDS:

• Inconel 718
• additive manufacturing
• tungsten alloy
• bimetallic structures
• additive manufacturing

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation under the grant number NSF-CMMI 1934230 and the Joint Centre for Aerospace Technology Innovation (JCATI, Seattle, WA) grant in collaboration with the Boeing Company (Seattle, WA). The authors would also like to acknowledge financial support from JCDREAM (Seattle, WA) towards purchasing metal additive manufacturing facilities at WSU. The authors would also like to acknowledge Tungsten Parts Wyoming, Inc., for providing the tungsten powders used in this study.

Data availability statement

Data will be available upon request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by NSF: [Grant Number NSF-CMMI 1934230].

Notes on contributors

C. Groden

C. Groden is a PhD candidate in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Washington State University. His research focuses mainly on the additive manufacturing of metals, with emphasis on Direct Energy Deposition-based additive manufacturing.

Kellen D. Traxel

Kellen D. Traxel is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University. His research focuses on developing processing-properties relationships for metals and metal-ceramic composites using laser-based additive manufacturing to enable increased design flexibility to manufacturers and engineers in many different industries. He has received several NASA Space Grants in the state of Washington for his work on processing of metal-ceramic composites using laser-based additive manufacturing, was the winner of Researcher of the Year in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and has published his work in reputable journals such as Additive Manufacturing, Materials & Design, & Materials Science and Engineering: Reports.

Ali Afrouzian

Ali Afrouzian is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Washington State University. His research focuses on developing metal-based implants and bimetallic structures using additive manufacturing, with emphasis on experiments and finite element simulation.

E. Nyberg

E. Nyberg is currently a Product Engineer at Kaiser Aluminum LLC. He is former Technology Development Manager at Tungsten Parts Wyoming. Mr. Nyberg has a M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Washington State University. He has 4 patents and over 50 publications. He is currently a TMS Board Member and Chair of the TMS Light Metals Division. In 2016 Mr. Nyberg received the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Vehicle Technologies, Special Recognition Award and in 2006, he was recognized with an R&D100 Award for his work on titanium metal injection molding.

A. Bandyopadhyay

A. Bandyopadhyay is a Professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering at Washington State University. He has worked with 22 PhD and 30 MS students, an inventor of 21 issued patents, and published over 350 technical articles. He is a Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, American Ceramic Society, ASM International, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, AAAS, National Academy of Inventors, and an elected member at the Washington State Academy of Science. His work has been cited over 26,500 times, and the current “h” index is 85 (Google Scholar).