Jun 17, 2019   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Norsk Titanium & QuesTek Test Additive Titanium Alloy

Building upon the collaboration announced at Farnborough in July 2018, Norsk Titanium (Norsk) has successfully printed QuesTek’s custom titanium wire in support of initial material properties testing.

QuesTek thoroughly evaluated the microstructure and measured the properties in several heat-treated conditions including various combinations of stress relief and solution treatment. Superior performance versus Ti-6-4 has been demonstrated.

The highest performance condition was a basic one-hour solution treatment where an average Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) of 147 ksi and an average elongation of 18% was measured. This represents an increase in both strength and elongation, while maintaining fatigue performance, over standard Ti-6Al-4V.

“QuesTek’s high-performance titanium alloy provides an opportunity for Norsk’s customers to optimize components printed with Norsk Titanium’s RPD™ process and opens doors for new applications,” said Norsk Chief Technology Officer Carl Johnson.

The typical Ti-6Al-4V microstructure shows an α/β structure consisting of packets of parallel α laths, while the QuesTek’s titanium alloy is an α’ martensitic structure with a “basket weave” morphology of martensitically-formed α’ plates. The non-parallel and refined nature of the plate martensite structure in QuesTek’s alloy is believed to be responsible for the increased strength and toughness compared to coarser, parallel α laths of Ti-6Al-4V. QuesTek’s alloying element contributes an enhanced response to heat treatment, beneficial for both strength and elongation properties.

Norsk and QuesTek plan to perform additional testing, while working with aircraft and propulsion manufacturers on the improved business case the new alloy affords.

For more information on Norsk, visit www.norsktitanium.com. Norsk will also have a display of its RPD™ technology at the International Paris Air Show, June 17-20.

About Norsk Titanium AS

Norsk Titanium AS is the world’s pioneering supplier of aerospace-grade, additive manufactured, structural titanium components. The company is distinguished in the aviation industry by its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD™) process that transforms titanium wire into complex components suitable for structural and safety-critical applications. Norsk Titanium is a tier-1 supplier to Boeing and is committed to cost-reducing aerostructures and jet engines for the world’s premier aerospace manufacturers. RPD™ is the world’s first FAA-approved, 3D-printed, structural titanium, delivering substantial lead-time and cost savings for aerospace, defense, and commercial customers. The first additive manufactured Integrally Bladed Rotor will be on display at the Norsk Titanium Booth 41430, Hall 4 during the Farnborough International Air Show. www.norsktitanium.com

About QuesTek Innovations

QuesTek Innovations LLC is a global leader in Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME). QuesTek has used its proprietary Materials by Design® methodology to rapidly design and deploy a family of commercially-available Ferrium® steels that are being used in demanding aerospace and space applications including landing gear and transmission gears. QuesTek has been involved in >40 projects to resolve materials issues across various alloy systems in additive manufacturing (Al, Mg, Cu, Fe, Co, Ni and Ti) to improve component performance by modifying chemical compositions and optimizing the heat treatments, or designing entirely new alloys.