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Preparation, microstructure, and microhardness of selective laser-melted W–3Ta sample

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Abstract

Tungsten (W) alloy is of difficulty in processing for conventional way because of its high melting point. Here, W alloy sample with the addition of 3 wt% Ta was prepared by selective laser melting. The influence of volumetric energy density (VED) on the surface morphology and the relative density was discussed, and microstructure, phase composition, and microhardness were investigated. The results show that a smooth surface and high relative density (95.79%) can be obtained under optimal VED. The W–Ta substitutional solid solution formed because of the replacement of Ta atom. There are strip and block fine grains in the W–3Ta sample with no significant texture. In addition, subgrain structure with a size of around 1 µm formed inside the strip grain, owing to the large thermal gradient and extremely fast cooling rate. Finally, the W–3Ta alloy shows higher microhardness than that obtained by traditional methods.

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Acknowledgments

This work was founded by Science Challenge Project (Grant No. TZ2018006-0301-01), Guangdong Scientific and Technological Project (Grant No. 2017B090911015), and Dongguan University of Technology High-level Talents (Innovation Team) Research Project (KCYCXPT2016003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710049, Xi’an, China

    Junfeng Li, Zhengying Wei, Bokang Zhou & Yunxiao Wu

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Dongguan University of Technology, 523808, Dongguan, China

    Sheng-Gui Chen & Zhenzhong Sun

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  1. Junfeng Li
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  2. Zhengying Wei
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  3. Bokang Zhou
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  4. Yunxiao Wu
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Correspondence to Junfeng Li.

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Li, J., Wei, Z., Zhou, B. et al. Preparation, microstructure, and microhardness of selective laser-melted W–3Ta sample. Journal of Materials Research 35, 2016–2024 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2020.71

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