Characterization of 2219 Aluminum Produced by Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication

Researchers at NASA Langley Research Center are developing a new electron beam freeform fabrication (EB F(sup 3)) technique to fabricate metal parts. This process introduces metal wire into a molten pool created by a focused electron beam. Potential aerospace applications for this technology include ground-based fabrication of airframe structures and on-orbit construction and repair of space components and structures. Processing windows for reliably producing high quality 2219 aluminum parts using the EB F(sup 3) technique are being defined. The effects of translation speed, wire feed rate, and beam power on the resulting microstructures and mechanical properties are explored. Tensile properties (ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation) show little effect over the range of processing conditions tested. Basic processing-microstructure-property correlations are drawn for the EB F(sup 3) process.