Method for inducing superplastic properties in nonsuperplastic metal and alloy powders
AssigneeThe Bendix Corporation
InventorKamal E. Amin
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Abstract
A method for inducing superplastic properties in nonsuperplastic materials, metals or alloys, by mixing in powder form, the nonsuperplastic material with a second alloy having superplastic characteristics. The powder mixture is compacted into a billet and superplastically formed. The grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material are subsequently restored by heating the formed billet to a temperature slightly below the melting point of the second alloy.
Claims27
A method for superplastically forming nonsuperplastic metallic materials, comprising the steps of:
- mixing, in powder form, a first quantity of a nonsuperplastic metallic material with a predetermined quantity of a second metal alloy having superplastic characteristics to form a homogeneous mixture;
- compacting said homogeneous mixture to form a billet;
- superplastically forming said billet to the desired shape;
- and
- heating said formed billet in a temperature range from 15.degree. C. to 30.degree. C. below the melting point of said second alloy to restore the grain boundaries of said nonsuperplastic material.
A method for forming a billet having superplastic properties from nonsuperplastic metallic materials, comprising the steps of:
- mixing, in powder form, a first quantity of a nonsuperplastic metallic material with a predetermined quantity of a second metal alloy having superplastic characteristics to form a homogeneous mixture;
- compacting said homogeneous mixture to form a billet;
- rapidly heating said billet to the melting temperature of said second alloy to uniformly distribute said second alloy proximate the grain boundaries of the nonsuperplastic material particles;
- and
- cooling said billet to inhibit further chemical reaction between said second metal alloy and said nonsuperplastic metallic material particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.