Microwave Sintering of Ti6Al4V: Optimization of Processing Parameters for Maximal Tensile Strength and Minimal Pore Size

Pressureless sintering is a powder metallurgical process wherein the powder particles are sintered without the aid of any compressive force. Though this additive manufacturing process is economical, the strength of the component is undermined due to the presence of pores; the elimination of which is a challenge. In this work, the optimal process parameters for the pressureless microwave sintering of a grade 5 titanium alloy that yields higher tensile strength and minimum sizes of pores were obtained. The three process parameters (sintering temperature, heating rate, and holding time) were experimented at five different levels using the design of experiments (DOE). Post sintering, the tensile strength was assessed as per ASTM standard B925-15, while the pore size was evaluated, non-destructively, using micro-computed tomography (µ-CT). The optimal process parameters that yielded minimum size pores were: sintering temperature—1293 °C, heating rate—6.65 °C/min; and holding time—72 min

Dislocation density based constitutive model for ultrasonic assisted deformation

The mechanical-behaviour of metallic materials subjected to plastic deformation is altered with the superposition of ultrasonic vibrations. A significant effect is the reduction of flow stress or acoustic softening. This phenomenon is utilized in metal forming and other deformation based manufacturing processes. Experimental investigations on ultrasonic assisted tensile tests focus on the effect of ultrasonic vibrations along the longitudinal axis of the specimen, whereas the manufacturing processes employs in transverse directions. In the present work, transverse ultrasonic vibrations are imposed during a uniaxial tensile test using an aluminium alloy. The trend of acoustic softening due to transverse direction vibrations is similar to that along longitudinal direction. A dislocation density based constitutive model is extended to model the softening due to ultrasonic effect. The predicted results agree well with the experimental observations. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved