Gas flow study for development of a novel shielding gas nozzle for directed energy deposition processes using computational fluid dynamic simulations

Abstract

Directed energy deposition (DED) enables the additive manufacturing of several materials such as molybdenum alloys that are very difficult to process by conventional methods. Some of these materials are highly reactive to gases in ambient atmosphere such as oxygen, and nitrogen. Oxidation during additive manufacturing significantly influences the mechanical properties of a part. In some cases, the shielding gas coverage of standard powder nozzles is not sufficient, and oxidation still takes place. A functional prototype of a compound multi flow path annular nozzle was developed using computational fluid dynamics simulations. Simulations were performed using multi-component miscible gas model. Prototypes were manufactured for several design iterations to test their functionality in cold flow conditions. In the end, an Inconel based prototype was built, using laser powder bed fusion. The volume of shielding gas cover over the substrate improved with the proposed design and the radial extent of 80 ppm oxygen concentration increased from 8 mm to 25 mm. Finally, Mo-Si-B alloy was deposited on a 1000 °C pre-heated substrate without significant oxidation or cracks.