Advances in Manufacturing ›› 2022, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (4): 610-624.doi: 10.1007/s40436-022-00407-z

• ARTICLES • 上一篇    

The development of a high-performance Ni-superalloy additively manufactured heat pipe

Sheng Li1,2, Khamis Essa2, James Carr3, States Chiwanga4, Andrew Norton5, Moataz M. Attallah6   

  1. 1. School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China;
    2. School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK;
    3. Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK;
    4. European Thermodynamics Ltd, 8 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth, Leicestershire, LE8 0RX, UK;
    5. Rolls-Royce plc, P.O. Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, UK;
    6. School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
  • 收稿日期:2021-08-09 修回日期:2022-02-11 发布日期:2022-11-05
  • 通讯作者: Moataz M. Attallah E-mail:m.m.attallah@bham.ac.uk
  • 基金资助:
    The authors would like to acknowledge RollsRoyce plc, Aerospace Technology Institute, and Innovate UK for funding this research through the Advanced Repair Technologies (113015) programme.

The development of a high-performance Ni-superalloy additively manufactured heat pipe

Sheng Li1,2, Khamis Essa2, James Carr3, States Chiwanga4, Andrew Norton5, Moataz M. Attallah6   

  1. 1. School of Electromechanical Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, People's Republic of China;
    2. School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK;
    3. Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Facility, Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, Department of Materials, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK;
    4. European Thermodynamics Ltd, 8 Priory Business Park, Wistow Road, Kibworth, Leicestershire, LE8 0RX, UK;
    5. Rolls-Royce plc, P.O. Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, UK;
    6. School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
  • Received:2021-08-09 Revised:2022-02-11 Published:2022-11-05
  • Contact: Moataz M. Attallah E-mail:m.m.attallah@bham.ac.uk
  • Supported by:
    The authors would like to acknowledge RollsRoyce plc, Aerospace Technology Institute, and Innovate UK for funding this research through the Advanced Repair Technologies (113015) programme.

摘要: Additively manufacturing (AM) has been used to manufacture fine structures with structured/engineered porosity in heat management devices. In this study, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) was used to manufacture a high-performance Ni-superalloy heat pipe, through tailoring LPBF process parameters to fabricate thin wall and micro-channel. By using novel laser scanning strategies, wick structure heat pipes with maximised surface-area-to-volume ratio, fine features size around 100 μm, and controlled porosity were successfully fabricated. Microscopy and X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) were used to investigate the 3D structure of the void space within the pipe. Wick test results showed that most of the heat pipes made by LPBF had better performance than the conventionally manufactured pipes. This study also investigated the influences of the process parameters on the porosity volume fraction and the feature size. The results showed that LPBF process could fabricate thin structure due to the change of melt pool contact angle. The relationship between process parameters and bead size reported in this study could help design and manufacture heat pipe with complex fine structure.

The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-022-00407-z

关键词: Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), Heat pipe, Melt pool, Microtomography (micro-CT)

Abstract: Additively manufacturing (AM) has been used to manufacture fine structures with structured/engineered porosity in heat management devices. In this study, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) was used to manufacture a high-performance Ni-superalloy heat pipe, through tailoring LPBF process parameters to fabricate thin wall and micro-channel. By using novel laser scanning strategies, wick structure heat pipes with maximised surface-area-to-volume ratio, fine features size around 100 μm, and controlled porosity were successfully fabricated. Microscopy and X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) were used to investigate the 3D structure of the void space within the pipe. Wick test results showed that most of the heat pipes made by LPBF had better performance than the conventionally manufactured pipes. This study also investigated the influences of the process parameters on the porosity volume fraction and the feature size. The results showed that LPBF process could fabricate thin structure due to the change of melt pool contact angle. The relationship between process parameters and bead size reported in this study could help design and manufacture heat pipe with complex fine structure.

The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-022-00407-z

Key words: Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), Heat pipe, Melt pool, Microtomography (micro-CT)