Variably flexible metal article and methods of making the same
AssigneeAdallo, LLC
InventorsJi Ma, Ibrahim Karaman, Eric Flickinger
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Abstract
Provided herein are variably flexible (i.e., variably stiff) metal alloys and methods of making the variably flexible (i.e., variably stiff) metal alloys. A variably flexible (i.e., variably stiff) metal alloy is a metal alloy that has areas of differing flexibility (i.e., stiffness, rigidity or elasticity) along a length of the metal alloy when the metal alloy is subjected to a load in use. Also provided herein are methods of making variably flexible (i.e., variably stiff) metal alloys and products including casting a metal alloy and selectively heat treating portions of the metal alloy to achieve predetermined stiffnesses in those portions.
Claims22
A method of making a variably elastic metal alloy product comprising:
- casting a Ti-based metal alloy, wherein the cast Ti-based metal alloy has an intermediate elastic modulus and comprises at least about 70% beta-phase crystalline structure;
- heat treating at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy to train the at least one first portion, wherein the heat treating results in a decreased elastic modulus that is lower than the intermediate elastic modulus or results in an increased elastic modulus that is higher than the intermediate elastic modulus;
- and
- during the heat treating at least one first portion, maintaining the intermediate elastic modulus of at least one second portion not subjected to heat treating,
- wherein the heat treating at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy and the maintaining the intermediate elastic modulus of at least one second portion provide the variably elastic metal alloy product.
A method of making a variably elastic metal alloy product comprising:
- casting a Ti-based metal alloy to obtain a cast Ti-based metal alloy comprising a beta-phase crystalline structure and an intermediate elastic modulus;
- cold working the cast Ti-based metal alloy;
- after the cold working, heat treating at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy to train the at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy to result in a decreased elastic modulus that is lower than the intermediate elastic modulus or to result in an increased elastic modulus that is higher than the intermediate elastic modulus;
- and
- during the heat treating at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy, maintaining the intermediate elastic modulus of at least one second portion not subjected to heat treating,
- wherein the heat treating at least one first portion of the Ti-based metal alloy and the maintaining the intermediate elastic modulus of at least one second portion provides the variably elastic metal alloy product.
A method of making a variably elastic metal alloy product comprising:
- casting a metal alloy comprising a beta-phase crystalline structure, wherein the metal alloy comprises 70 atomic percent (at. %) to 78 at. % Ti, 18 at. % to 24 At. % Nb, up to 12 at. % of a third alloying element selected from the group consisting of zirconium (Zr), tin (Sn), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), iron (Fe), and tantalum (Ta), and up to 1 at. % of impurities;
- heat treating at least one first portion of the metal alloy to train the at least one first portion of the metal alloy to result in a decreased elastic modulus that is lower than an elastic modulus of at least one second portion of the variably elastic metal alloy product not subjected to heat treating or to result in an increased elastic modulus that is higher than the elastic modulus of the at least one second portion of the variably elastic metal alloy product not subjected to heat treating;
- and
- during the heat treating at least one first portion of the metal alloy, maintaining the elastic modulus of the at least one second portion of the metal alloy not subjected to heat treating to provide the variably elastic metal alloy product, wherein the variably elastic metal alloy product comprises at least one rigid portion and at least one flexible portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.