The strongest titanium alloy was developed for the aerospace industry

Using advanced 3D printing technology, Monash University scientists have created the strongest titanium alloy ever produced, a leap forward in the aerospace, defense, energy and space industries.

In a world-first study of its kind, engineers at Australia’s Monash University have shown how advanced 3D printing can now produce a very strong commercial-grade titanium alloy. This is a real leap forward for the aerospace, defense, energy, space and biomedical industries.

The researchers, led by Professor Aijun Huang and Dr Yuman Zhou, both from Monash University, manipulated a new microstructure through a 3D printing method, resulting in unprecedented mechanical performance.

One of the main advantages of this study is that it was performed on commercially available alloys and can be used immediately. This is a very positive and significant advantage.

“Titanium alloys require complex casting and thermochemical processing to achieve high strength for some critical applications,” Dr. Huang said in a statement. We have discovered that additive manufacturing can use a unique manufacturing process to create extremely strong and thermally stable parts in commercial titanium alloys that can ultimately be directly implemented.

After applying a simple post-heat treatment to a commercial titanium alloy, Professor Huang achieved elongation and sufficient tensile strength of over 1,600 MPa, the highest strength of any 3D printed metal to date. This problem paves the way for the fabrication of structural materials with unique microstructures and excellent properties for a wide range of applications.

Over the past 10 years, 3D printing has led to a new era in metal fabrication due to the freedom in design. That is, it enables the ability to make almost any geometric shape. Currently, titanium alloys are the leading 3D printed metal used to produce parts in the aerospace industry.

Unfortunately, most titanium alloys on the market that are created by 3D printing do not have structural applications. This is especially true for tensile strength at room temperature and high temperatures in harsh service environments.

The main properties of titanium alloy are attributed to the unusual formation of dense, stable and internally twinned nano-precipitates, which are rarely seen in traditionally processed titanium alloys, and the technique used here to solve this problem is additive manufacturing (AM).

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a powerful technology that provides design freedom in this type of 3D creation of titanium alloys. Titanium is generally much stronger than aluminum alloys and lighter than steel, making it more energy efficient.

However, the number of applications and the number of titanium products produced by the AM method are currently still limited in the industry compared to conventional titanium components. This is because the AM products produced today are not structurally strong enough.

Research carried out at Monash University has now developed a more fundamental understanding of the density, segregation of elements and unique solidification structures. Then he opened a window to the properties of nano sediments with higher density and tensile strength.

Now the use of this new alloy can begin immediately, something that is rare for a study or research project. This technique can be used in many industries including the production of car parts and structures.

This study was published in the journal Nature Materials.