A method may comprise: placing a probe in a molten metal melt comprising a thixotropic metal alloy; injecting a gas into the molten metal melt to form a saturated slurry, the saturated slurry being at a temperature above a liquidus temperature of the thixotropic metal alloy after injecting the gas; removing the probe from the molten metal melt; and depositing the molten metal melt through an extruder of an additive manufacturing system.

A method for manufacturing a metal bladed wheel of a turbomachine reinforced by an insert made of metal matrix composite material, includes winding the ceramic fibers around a mandrel in order to form the insert, the ceramic fibers being surrounded by a material constituting the matrix; and spark plasma sintering the insert with a powder of metal constituting the bladed wheel to be manufactured.

Carbon fiber reinforced metal matrix composite gears include a planar carbon fiber structure fully encapsulated within a metal matrix formed of sintered metal nanoparticles. The metal nanoparticles can be composed of a metal having a high sintering temperature that would ordinarily destroy the carbon fiber. Novel techniques for making small uniform nanoparticles for sintering lowers the sintering temperature to a level that can accommodate carbon fiber. The composite gears possess high strength to weight ratio.

A component for a gas turbine engine can be made via additive manufacturing. During the additive manufacturing process a powder can be used that comprises a superalloy material (12) and carbon nanostructures (14a, 14b). Components made using the powder can have preferred characteristics at certain locations through the use of the carbon nanostructure based additive manufacturing powder.

A variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal having a degradable phase and a stiffener material. The variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal can optionally be in the form of a degradable diverter ball or sealing element which can be made neutrally buoyant.

A variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal having a degradable phase and a stiffener material. The variable stiffness engineered degradable ball or seal can optionally be in the form of a degradable diverter ball or sealing element which can be made neutrally buoyant.

An apparatus and method to magnetically align fibers in a base additive material during an additive manufacturing process for material property enhancing purposes or to facilitate joining of multiple types of materials during the additive process to form an integrated part. The magnetically alignable fibers are positioned through the application of a controlled, multi-axis positioning magnetic field during the additive-material layer deposition phase. This allows the fibers to be embedded within the base additive-material in any three-dimensional desired orientation, and the orientation to be varied from layer to layer, to permit directional enhancement of material properties, dependent on the nature of the fiber materials themselves. Likewise, joining of multiple types of materials may be improved through the controlled deposition of such fibers embedded within the base material itself during the additive-process between layers of two or more dissimilar materials, to provide a directionally aligned mechanical attachment between layers of base additive materials to result in a strengthened consolidated part at the conclusion of the additive manufacturing process.

An apparatus and method to magnetically align fibers in a base additive material during an additive manufacturing process for material property enhancing purposes or to facilitate joining of multiple types of materials during the additive process to form an integrated part. The magnetically alignable fibers are positioned through the application of a controlled, multi-axis positioning magnetic field during the additive-material layer deposition phase. This allows the fibers to be embedded within the base additive-material in any three-dimensional desired orientation, and the orientation to be varied from layer to layer, to permit directional enhancement of material properties, dependent on the nature of the fiber materials themselves. Likewise, joining of multiple types of materials may be improved through the controlled deposition of such fibers embedded within the base material itself during the additive-process between layers of two or more dissimilar materials, to provide a directionally aligned mechanical attachment between layers of base additive materials to result in a strengthened consolidated part at the conclusion of the additive manufacturing process.

An iron-based sintered body includes a metal matrix and complex oxide particles contained in the metal matrix. When a main viewing field having an area of 176 μm×226 μm is taken on a cross section of the iron-based sintered body and divided into a 5×5 array of 25 viewing fields each having an area of 35.2 μm×45.2 μm, the complex oxide particles have an average equivalent circle diameter of from 0.3 μm to 2.5 μm inclusive, and a value obtained by dividing the total area of the 25 viewing fields by the total number of complex oxide particles present in the 25 viewing fields is from 10 μm.sup.2/particle to 1,000 μm.sup.2/particle inclusive. The number of viewing fields in which no complex oxide particle is present is 4 or less out of the 25 viewing fields.

An iron-based sintered body includes a metal matrix and complex oxide particles contained in the metal matrix. When a main viewing field having an area of 176 μm×226 μm is taken on a cross section of the iron-based sintered body and divided into a 5×5 array of 25 viewing fields each having an area of 35.2 μm×45.2 μm, the complex oxide particles have an average equivalent circle diameter of from 0.3 μm to 2.5 μm inclusive, and a value obtained by dividing the total area of the 25 viewing fields by the total number of complex oxide particles present in the 25 viewing fields is from 10 μm.sup.2/particle to 1,000 μm.sup.2/particle inclusive. The number of viewing fields in which no complex oxide particle is present is 4 or less out of the 25 viewing fields.