Alternate method for inducing superplastic properties in nonsuperplastic metal and alloy powders
AssigneeThe Bendix Corporation
InventorKamal E. Amin
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Abstract
The invention is a method for inducing superplastic properties in nonsuperplastic metal and metal alloy powders by adding to such powders a small quantity of pure metal capable of alloying with the nonsuperplastic material to form a eutectic having superplastic properties. The powder is initially heated to the melting temperature of the desired eutectic to form the superplastic eutectic at the grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material. After forming, the powder is heat soaked to further dissolve the pure metal, destroying the formed eutectic and restoring the natural grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material.
Claims18
A method for superplastically forming nonsuperplastic metallic materials, comprising the steps of:
- adding a predetermined quantity of pure metal to a nonsuperplastic metallic material powder, said pure metal capable of alloying with said nonsuperplastic metallic material to form a eutectic having superplastic properties;
- compacting said nonsuperplastic material powder with said added pure metal to form a billet;
- heating said billet to the melting point of said eutectic to form said eutectic proximate the grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material powders;
- superplastically forming said billet to the desired shape utilizing the superplastic properties of said formed eutectic;
- and
- heating said billet at a temperature between 15.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. below the melting point of said formed eutectic to dissolve said pure metal into said nonsuperplastic material and restore the grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material.
A method for forming a billet from nonsuperplastic material powder having superplastic properties comprising the steps of:
- coating the individual particles of the nonsuperplastic metallic material powder with a thin coat of a pure metal capable of alloying with the nonsuperplastic powder to form a eutectic having superplastic properties;
- compacting the coated nonsuperplastic material powder to form a billet;
- and
- heating the billet to a predetermined temperature to alloy said thin coat of pure metal with said nonsuperplastic material to form a eutectic proximate the grain boundaries of said nonsuperplastic powders.
A method for forming a billet from nonsuperplastic metallic material powder having superplastic properties comprising the steps of:
- adding to a first predetermined quantity of the nonsuperplastic material powder a second predetermined quantity of a pure metal powder capable of alloying with said nonsuperplastic material to form a eutectic having superplastic properties;
- mixing said nonsuperplastic material powder with said pure metal powder to form a homogeneous mixture;
- compacting said homogeneous mixture to form a billet;
- and
- heating said billet to a predetermined temperature to alloy said pure metal powder with said nonsuperplastic material powders to form said eutectic proximate the grain boundaries of said nonsuperplastic powders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.