Cold Isostatic Pressing to Improve the Mechanical Performance of Additively Manufactured Metallic Components

Exploring the potential of intermetallic alloys as implantable biomaterials: A comprehensive review

This review delves into the utilization of intermetallic alloys (IMAs) as advanced biomaterials for medical implants, scrutinizing their conceptual framework, fabrication challenges, and diverse manufacturing techniques such as casting, powder metallurgy, and additive manufacturing. Manufacturing techniques such as casting, powder metallurgy, additive manufacturing, and injection molding are discussed, with specific emphasis on achieving optimal grain sizes, surface roughness, and mechanical properties. Post-treatment methods aimed at refining surface quality, dimensional precision, and mechanical properties of IMAs are explored, including the use of heat treatments to enhance biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. The review presents an in-depth examination of IMAs-based implantable biomaterials, covering lab-scale developments and commercial-scale implants. Specific IMAs such as Nickel Titanium, Titanium Aluminides, Iron Aluminides, Magnesium-based IMAs, Zirconium-based IMAs, and High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are highlighted, with detailed discussions on their mechanical properties, including strength, elastic modulus, and corrosion resistance. Future directions are outlined, with an emphasis on the anticipated growth in the orthopedic devices market and the role of IMAs in meeting this demand. The potential of porous IMAs in orthopedics is explored, with emphasis on achieving optimal pore sizes and distributions for enhanced osseointegration. The review concludes by highlighting the ongoing need for research and development efforts in IMAs technologies, including advancements in design and fabrication techniques.

Effect of Microstructural Change under Pressure during Isostatic Pressing on Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Isotropic Carbon Blocks

In this study, carbon blocks were fabricated using isotropic coke and coal tar pitch as raw materials, with a variation in pressure during cold isostatic pressing (CIP). The CIP pressure was set to 50, 100, 150, and 200 MPa, and the effect of the CIP pressure on the mechanical and electrical properties of the resulting carbon blocks was analyzed. Microstructural observations confirmed that, after the kneading, the surface of isotropic coke was covered with the pitch components. Subsequently, after the CIP, granules, which were larger than isotropic coke and the kneaded particles, were observed. The formation of these granules was attributed to the coalescence of kneaded particles under the applied pressing pressure. This granule formation was accompanied by the development of pores, some remaining within the granules, while others were extruded, thereby existing externally. The increase in the applied pressing pressure facilitated the formation of granules, and this microstructural development contributed to enhanced mechanical and electrical properties. At a pressing pressure of 100 MPa, the maximum flexural strength was achieved at 33.3 MPa, and the minimum electrical resistivity was reached at 60.1 μΩm. The higher the pressing pressure, the larger the size of the granules. Pores around the granules tended to connect and grow larger, forming crack-like structures. This microstructural change led to degraded mechanical and electrical properties. The isotropic ratio of the carbon blocks obtained in this study was estimated based on the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). The results confirmed that all carbon blocks obtained proved to be isotropic. In this study, a specimen type named CIP-100 exhibited the best performance in every aspect as an isotropic carbon block.

Characterization of PLA/PCL/Nano-Hydroxyapatite (nHA) Biocomposites Prepared via Cold Isostatic Pressing

Hydroxyapatite has the closest chemical composition to human bone. Despite this, the use of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) to produce biocomposite scaffolds from a mixture of polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) using cold isostatic pressing has not been studied intensively. In this study, biocomposites were created employing nHA as an osteoconductive filler and a polymeric blend of PLA and PCL as a polymer matrix for prospective usage in the medical field. Cold isostatic pressing and subsequent sintering were used to create composites with different nHA concentrations that ranged from 0 to 30 weight percent. Using physical and mechanical characterization techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and density, porosity, tensile, and flexural standard tests, it was determined how the nHA concentrations affected the biocomposite's general properties. In this study, the presence of PLA, PCL, and nHA was well identified using FTIR, XRD, and SEM methods. The biocomposites with high nHA content showed intense bands for symmetric stretching and the asymmetric bending vibration of PO₄^3-. The incorporation of nHA into the polymeric blend matrix resulted in a rather irregular structure and the crystallization became more difficult. The addition of nHA improved the density and tensile and flexural strength of the PLA/PCL matrix (0% nHA). However, with increasing nHA content, the PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites became more porous. In addition, the density, flexural strength, and tensile strength of the PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites decreased with increasing nHA concentration. The PLA/PCL/nHA biocomposites with 10% nHA had the highest mechanical properties with a density of 1.39 g/cm³, a porosity of 1.93%, a flexural strength of 55.35 MPa, and a tensile strength of 30.68 MPa.

Study of Material Properties and Creep Behavior of a Large Block of AISI 316L Steel Produced by SLM Technology

The additive manufacturing (3D printing) of metallic materials is a relatively new technology and its use is quickly increasing. Although it is of interest to many researchers, there are still areas which are not fully explored. One of those areas is the behavior of large components and/or semi-products processed by 3D printing. This work is focused on the study of material properties of additive manufactured large block made of AISI 316L steel in two heat treatment conditions (as-printed and solution annealed) and their comparison with the properties of hot-rolled plate performed by tensile tests, Charpy V-notch tests, small punch tests and stress rupture tests. Mechanical tests were complemented by microstructural investigation and the fractographic analysis of fracture surfaces. We found out that mechanical and long-term properties of large 3D printed blocks of this steel are excellent and comparable with other published results obtained on small-sized and intentionally produced test pieces. The observed lower ductility is the result of printing imperfections in microstructure. The results of small punch tests confirmed the possibility of exploiting the existing database and using the correlation between small punch tests and tensile tests results even for 3D-printed AISI 316L steel.

Design of a Practical Metal-Made Cold Isostatic Pressing (CIP) Chamber Using Finite Element Analysis

The fast development of deep-ocean engineering equipment requires more deep-ocean pressure chambers (DOPCs) with a large inner diameter and ultra-high-pressure (UHP). Using the pre-stressed wire-wound (PSWW) concept, cold isostatic pressing (CIP) chambers have become a new concept of DOPCs, which can provide 100% performance of materials in theory. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive design process for a practical metal-made CIP chamber. First, the generalized design equations are derived by considering the fact that the cylinder and wire have different Young's moduli and Poisson's ratios. Second, to verify the theory and the reliability of the CIP chamber, the authors proposed a series of FEA models based on ANSYS Mechanical, including a two-dimensional (2D) model with the thermal strain method (TSM) and a three-dimensional (3D) model with the direct method (DM). The relative errors of the pre-stress coefficient range from 0.17% to 5%. Finally, the crack growth path is predicted by using ANSYS's Separating Morphing and Adaptive Remeshing Technology (SMART) algorithm, and the fatigue life is evaluated by using the unified fatigue life prediction (UFLP) method developed by the authors' group. This paper provides a more valuable basis to the design of DOPCs as well as to the similar pressure vessels than the previous work.