Ultrasonic consolidation (UC) is a recently developed direct metal solid freeform
fabrication process. While the process has been well-demonstrated for part fabrication in Al alloy
3003 H18, including with intricate cooling channels, some of the potential strengths of the
process have not been fully exploited. One of them is its flexibility with build materials and the
other is its suitability for fabrication of multi-material and functionally graded material parts with
enhanced functional or mechanical properties. Capitalizing on these capabilities is critical for
broadening the application range and commercial utilization of the process. In the current work,
UC was used to investigate ultrasonic bonding of a broad range of engineering materials, which
included stainless steels, Ni-base alloys, brass, Al alloys, and Al alloy composites. UC multimaterial part fabrication was examined using Al alloy 3003 as the bulk part material and the
above mentioned materials as performance enhancement materials. Studies were focused on
microstructural aspects to evaluate interface characteristics between dissimilar material layers.
The results showed that most of these materials can be successfully bonded to Al alloy 3003 and
vice versa using the ultrasonic consolidation process. Bond formation and interface
characteristics between various material combinations are discussed based on oxide layer
characteristics, material properties, and others.Mechanical Engineerin
