Anisotropic properties of a copper alloy printed by directed energy deposition

• Main Author: Wong, Derrance Guan Yu
• Other Authors: Zhou Kun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Engineering::Manufacturing; Engineering::Materials; Engineering::Mechanical engineering
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/150678
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Copper alloys are commonly used in applications of marine and offshore industry. Traditional manufacturing methods have been widely used in manufacturing of copper alloys but faces difficulties keeping cost low for manufacturing parts with complex geometries or with small volume production. The use of Additive Manufacturing techniques, particularly Directed Energy Deposition (DED) reduces the cost incurred for manufacturing and repairing of components as it can produce components with complex geometries and does not require the need to procure expensive tooling for small production runs. This report investigates the usage of the DED technique, specifically Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) to fabricate a Cu-9Al-5Fe-5Ni Alloy and analyze the anisotropic mechanical properties such as Ultimate Tensile Strength and Elongation based on the prevailing thermal history in the course of treatment. By adjusting the variables of the process, it is possible to obtain the desired mechanical properties by controlling the melt pool and thermal history. Mechanical properties of test samples printed in the longitudinal direction was observed to yield a better result than the mechanical properties of test samples printed in the transverse direction. These results are compared against ASTM requirements and confirmed DED’s suitability to manufacture Cu-9Al-5Fe-5Ni alloy and paved the way for future applications in the marine and offshore industries.