Sandwich structure printing of Ti-Ni-Ti by directed energy deposition

ABSTRACT

In the current work, sandwich structure (Ti-6Al-4V)-Ni-(Ti-6Al-4V) is printed by Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS). This sandwich structure allows the general repair of broken parts with dissimilar materials. The chief objective of this research is to propose a new method to produce a sandwich structure comprising Ti-6Al-4V and Nickel by DED, which allows the investigation of the Ti-6Al-4V/Nickel and Nickel/Ti-6Al-4V interfaces. The results shed light on the production process and makes a proper roadmap for multi-material printing. The contributions of this paper are the detailed defect characterization of (Ti-6Al-4V)-Ni-(Ti-6Al-4V) sandwich structures, considering the rheological phenomena in the meltpool and thermophysical properties of the materials. This research also identifies how the interface quality and the overall bonding quality of the sandwich structures can be improved, enabling the exploration of the limitations of production, and the knowledge of how to potentially produce a defect-free sandwich structure of Ti-Ni-Ti. Results showed that cracks, pores, partial melting, keyholes and residual particles are the main problems during a build. These results indicate that the LENS is a promising method to produce sandwich structures for various applications by selecting the appropriate process parameters in such a way as to minimize the rheological instability.

KEYWORDS:

• Sandwich structure
• direct energy deposition
• microstructure
• crack
• pore

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aidin Farzaneh

Aidin Farzaneh is responsible for design, implementation, and evaluating the mechanical systems. He also ensures that the mechanical integration between SEA-Drives and gliders are done properly, the new designs satisfy the customers and regulations requirements, and the current systems are improved during the continuous improvement process.Prior to joining SEA Electric, he was a Technical Inspector of automotive parts for Nissan and Kia brands. He accepted the role of Technical Manager at an investment casting factory that manufactured Peugeot's gearbox parts. He also taught engineering courses while at Deakin University.

Mahyar Khorasani

Mahyar Khorasani received his PhD in Additive manufacturing of metal parts from Deakin University in 2017. He is working on the process and post process of AM parts. Currently, he is Senior Research Officer of Ford Motor Company at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

Ehsan Farabi

Ehsan Farabi received his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from Deakin University in 2020, he has expertise in the analysis of complex microstructures using high resolution characterization techniques (EBSD, APT and TEM) and engineering microstructure of advanced materials with physical principles. Currently, he is Postdoctoral Research Fellow at School of Materials Science & Engineering at UNSW and focused on processing of advanced materials for aerospace and tooling.

Ian Gibson

Ian Gibson is a professor of Additive manufacturing and works at the University of Twente and he is Scientific Director of the Fraunhofer Project Centre in complex systems engineering. He works on different research topics including metal and polymer AM products.

Martin Leary

Martin Leary is a Professor of Design for Additive Manufacturing at the School of Engineering, RMIT University. He is also the Theme Leader of Additive Manufacturing Group Leader at RMIT, a member of the RMIT Centre for Additive Manufacturing (CAM).

AmirHossein Ghasemi

AmirHossein Ghasemi is a Master of Engineering in Manufacturing and metal cutting. He is member of Australian Institute of Science & Technology.

Bernard Rolfe

Bernard Rolfe is currently a Professor at the School of Engineering, Deakin University. He was the theme leader for light weighting at the Australian Automotive Cooperative Research Centre (2014-2017), and he is currently the Chair of the Academic Advisory Board for the International Federation of Automotive Engineering (FISITA). His current research focus is the design and forming of light weight structures, including the development of better constitutive models for materials. He is also investigating design techniques for light weighting using additive manufacturing.