Metallic Multimaterials Fabricated by Combining Additive Manufacturing and Powder Metallurgy

Nature has created a unique combination of materials, and the design and material compositions used in nature are not successfully employed for industrial applications. Metallic multimaterials (MMMs) are a unique class of materials that combine the properties of various metallic constituents (both matrix and reinforcement(s)) to improve the functionality, performance in real-time, and application spectrum. Accordingly, this study explores the fabrication perspective of MMMs by combining both additive manufacturing (AM) and powder metallurgical (PM) routes. Ti6Al4V structures were fabricated via the laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) process, and the reinforcement powders were added into the spark plasma sintering (SPS) mold where the Ti6Al4V structures were placed. Different reinforcement compositions including Mg, Al, Fe, Ni, and Cu were explored. Since the present study is focused on the variation of hardness, the hardness profile of the MMM composite was explored showing a sinusoidal trend. This study stands as a testimonial of fabricating MMM composites via a combination of AM and PM processes.