Some variations provide a process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, comprising: providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; exposing a first amount of the nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting the precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; solidifying the first melt layer, thereby generating a first solid layer; and repeating many times to generate a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction. The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains. Other variations provide an additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising metals selected from aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; and grain-refining nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, or oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, wherein the additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

Some variations provide a process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, comprising: providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; exposing a first amount of the nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting the precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; solidifying the first melt layer, thereby generating a first solid layer; and repeating many times to generate a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction. The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains. Other variations provide an additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising metals selected from aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; and grain-refining nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, or oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, wherein the additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

The invention relates to a method for producing a carbide with a toughness-increasing structure, comprising the following steps: providing a hard material powder, wherein the average BET particle size of the hard material powder is less than 1.0 mm; mixing the hard material powder with a binder powder; shaping the mixture made of hard material powder and binder powder to form a green body; and sintering the green body. The invention also relates to a carbide with a toughness-increasing structure comprising a phase made of hard material particles and a phase made of binder metal heterogeneously distributed in the carbide, which is present in the form of binder islands, wherein the carbide with a toughness-increasing structure produced after the sintering has a phase made of hard material particles with an average particle size in the region between 1 nm and 1000 nm, and the binder islands have an average size of 0.1 m to 10.0 m and an average distance between the binder islands of 1.0 m to 7.0 m.

A valve seat ring and a method for producing the same may include a first material and a second material. The first material may be composed of approximately 15 to 30% by weight of Mo, approximately 5 to 30% by weight of chromium, approximately 0 to 5% by weight of Si, approximately 0 to 2% by weight of C, and up to 5% by weight of other elements and a portion of Co. The second material may be composed of approximately 10 to 12% by weight of Cr, approximately 0.5 to 0.8% by weight of Mn, approximately 0.5 to 1% by weight of Si, approximately 0.5 to 0.9% by weight of C, up to approximately 3% by weight of other elements and a reminder of Fe.

A valve seat ring and a method for producing the same may include a first material and a second material. The first material may be composed of approximately 15 to 30% by weight of Mo, approximately 5 to 30% by weight of chromium, approximately 0 to 5% by weight of Si, approximately 0 to 2% by weight of C, and up to 5% by weight of other elements and a portion of Co. The second material may be composed of approximately 10 to 12% by weight of Cr, approximately 0.5 to 0.8% by weight of Mn, approximately 0.5 to 1% by weight of Si, approximately 0.5 to 0.9% by weight of C, up to approximately 3% by weight of other elements and a reminder of Fe.

An insert part for a cast piston of an internal combustion engine may include a powder, such as a sintered powder material, containing at least iron or alloys thereof, and having a capacity for being infiltrated. The powder may contain particles having different grain sizes, and up to 4% by volume of the powder may include particles having a diameter smaller than 75 m.

A designing and manufacturing method for powder injection molding a piston ring comprises the following steps: (a) designing an elliptical equation of the piston ring according to the technical requirements of the piston ring product and providing the free opening gap size; (b) conducting engineering analysis on structural strength, stress-strain, and friction and wear by means of a computer; (c) designing and selecting a powder material, designing a proportion ratio of powder and adhesive, and manufacturing a feeding material for injection by means of mixing and granulating; (d) designing and manufacturing an injection mold for the elliptical piston ring; (e) manufacturing a three-dimensional elliptical piston ring blank by injecting, degreasing, sintering and post-processing; (f) cutting an opening; and (g) inspecting translucency, elasticity and size of the product, then packaging and delivering or warehousing. The present designing and manufacturing method employs the technique of powder injection molding and computer-aided design and engineering analysis, designs and selects powder materials, and designs a proportion ratio of powder and adhesive; due to feeding particles being uniform, the piston ring structure is more uniform, and has improvements over the traditional casting process with more design freedom.

A designing and manufacturing method for powder injection molding a piston ring comprises the following steps: (a) designing an elliptical equation of the piston ring according to the technical requirements of the piston ring product and providing the free opening gap size; (b) conducting engineering analysis on structural strength, stress-strain, and friction and wear by means of a computer; (c) designing and selecting a powder material, designing a proportion ratio of powder and adhesive, and manufacturing a feeding material for injection by means of mixing and granulating; (d) designing and manufacturing an injection mold for the elliptical piston ring; (e) manufacturing a three-dimensional elliptical piston ring blank by injecting, degreasing, sintering and post-processing; (f) cutting an opening; and (g) inspecting translucency, elasticity and size of the product, then packaging and delivering or warehousing. The present designing and manufacturing method employs the technique of powder injection molding and computer-aided design and engineering analysis, designs and selects powder materials, and designs a proportion ratio of powder and adhesive; due to feeding particles being uniform, the piston ring structure is more uniform, and has improvements over the traditional casting process with more design freedom.

A powder metal composition for high wear and temperature applications is made by atomizing a melted iron based alloy including 3.0 to 7.0 wt. % carbon; 10.0 to 25.0 wt. % chromium; 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % tungsten; 3.5 to 7.0 wt. % vanadium; 1.0 to 5.0 wt. % molybdenum; not greater than 0.5 wt. % oxygen; and at least 40.0 wt. % iron. The high carbon content reduces the solubility of oxygen in the melt and thus lowers the oxygen content to a level below which would cause the carbide-forming elements to oxidize during atomization. The powder metal composition includes metal carbides in an amount of at least 15 vol. %. The microhardness of the powder metal composition increases with increasing amounts of carbon and is typically about 800 to 1,500 Hv50.

A method for fabricating a piston with a layering device via an additive manufacturing process is provided. The method may include forming a first layer of the piston on a substrate with a layering device, forming a second layer of the piston adjacent the first layer with the layering device, and binding the first layer with the second layer. The first layer of the piston may include a first material, and the second layer of the piston may include the first material and a second material.