Microstructure,precipitates and mechanical properties of powder bed fused inconel 718 before and after heat treatment

IN718 alloy was fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (PBF) for examination of microstructure, precipitates and mechanical properties in the as-built state and after different heat treatments. The as-built alloy had a characteristic fine cellular-dendritic microstructure with Nb, Mo and Ti segregated along the interdendritic region and cellular boundary. The as-built alloys were then subjected to solution heat treatment (SHT) at 980 °C or 1065 °C for 1 h. SHT at 980 °C led to the formation of δ-phase in the interdendritic region or cellular boundary. The segregation was completely removed by the SHT at 1065 °C, but recrystallization was observed, and the carbides decorated along the grain boundaries. The as-built alloy and alloys with SHT at 980 °C and 1065 °C were two-step aged, which consisted of annealing at 720 °C for 8 h followed by annealing at 620 °C for 8 h. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the precipitation of γ' and γ” in all alloys after two-step aging, but the amount and uniformity of distribution varied. The Vickers hardness of the PBF IN718 alloy increased from 296 HV to 467 HV after direct aging. The hardness decreased to 267 HV and 235 HV after SHT at 980 °C and 1065 °C, respectively, but increased to 458 HV and 477 HV followed by aging. The evolution of Young’s modulus after heat treatment exhibited similar trend to that of hardness. The highest hardness was observed for IN718 after SHT at 1065 °C and two-step aging due to precipitation with greater amount and uniform distribution.     

Laser powder bed fusion of high-strength Sc/Zr-modified Al-Mg alloy:phase selection,microstructural/mechanical heterogeneity,and tensile deformation behavior

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) of Sc/Zr-modified Al-based alloys has recently become a promising method for developing a new generation of high-performance Al alloys.To clarify the modification roles of Sc/Zr elements,an Al-4.66Mg-0.48Mn-0.72Sc-0.33Zr (wt.％) alloy was processed using L-PBF.The ef-fect of the local solidification condition of the molten pool on the precipitation behavior of primary Al3(Sc,Zr) was analyzed based on time-dependent nucleation theory.it was found that primary Al3(Sc,Zr)inevitably precipitated at the fusion boundary,while its precipitation could be effectively suppressed in the inner region of the molten pool.This subsequently induced the formation of a heterogeneous α-Al matrix.After direct aging,the heredity of solidification microstructure introduced heterogeneous secondary Al3(Sc,Zr) precipitates within α-Al matrix.Owing to the inverse relationship between grain boundary strengthening and precipitation strengthening,the direct-aged sample with dual heterogeneous structures exhibited reduced mechanical heterogeneity,resulting in lowered hetero-deformation-induced hardening.The low strain-hardening capability in the direct-aged sample promoted necking instability while inducing a large Lüders elongation,which effectively improved the tensile ductility.     

Investigation of the accuracy and roughness in the laser powder bed fusion process

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process has had a rapid growth in the industrial fields because of the capability to manufacture metallic complex shapes. The purpose of this study is to investigate the accuracy and surface roughness of parts manufactured by L-PBF in the AlSi10Mg alloy. The results showed that the choice of parameters of conversion from the CAD model to STL file and the setting of process parameters can affect the accuracy. In the L-PBF process, the staircase effect, inherent in additive manufacturing technologies due to the layered nature of the process, is not visible due to the melting of thin layers of metal powder. The surface roughness is mainly caused by the process parameters, orientation and position of the part with respect to the recoating blade and by the presence of partially fused particles that adhere to the molten part.     

Influences of residual stress and micro-deformation on microstructures and mechanical properties for Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy produced by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)yields unique advantages during the fabrication of titanium alloys.In the present work,Ti-6.5Al-3.5Mo-1.5Zr-0.3Si alloy specimens with excellent mechanical performances were fabricated by LPBF.The as-built specimens displayed relatively high strength and ductility under modest volume energy densities(VEDs),whereas they manifested high strength with low ductility under high VEDs.To investigate the key reason of this phenomenon,the specimens were designed with two VEDs ranges of 60 J/mm3 and 85J/mm3.Special attention was paid to the influences of residual stress and micro-deformation on microstructures and mechanical properties for the first time.The results indicated that the residual stresses and relative density of the 60 J/mm3 range specimens were higher than that of the 85 J/mm3 range specimens.Dislocation multiplication and dislocation movement promoted by the residual stress were hindered by the initial α'phase grain boundary(prior-α'GB),leading to the formation of α'metastable structures.The mean tensile strength and elongation of the 60 J/mm3 range specimens were 1248.1 MPa and 12.3％,respectively,whereas the corresponding values for the 85 J/mm3 range specimens were 1405.3 MPa,5.0％,respectively.During deformation,the strength and ductility of the specimens were first improved by lamellar structures generated from prior-α'phases,and then effectively enhanced by the interaction between the{10-12}twins and dislocations.However,pores significantly reduced the ductility;hence,high VED specimens with large twins and numerous large pores increased the strength and reduce the ductility.     

纯铜/铜合金高反射材料粉末床激光熔融技术进展EI北大核心CSCD

纯铜/铜合金具有优异的导热、导电性能,是重要的工业材料。以粉末床激光熔融为代表的激光增材制造技术具有优良的设计自由度及成形精度,是增材制造的主流发展方向。纯铜/铜合金的粉末床激光熔融与传统加工制造技术相比,前者能够更好地发挥铜优异的性能,在电子电气、汽车、航空航天等导热/导电高需求领域具有广阔的应用前景。本文综述了以纯铜/铜合金为代表的激光高反射材料的粉末床激光熔融的研究现状、面临的重要问题以及相应的解决对策分析。在此基础上,结合本课题组在纯铜/铜合金粉末床激光熔融过程的经验,指出运用蓝光、绿光等短波长激光器进行纯铜/铜合金等高反射材料的粉末床激光熔融是未来的研究热点与发展方向。     

热处理和热暴露后Ti-46Al-8Ta合金的显微组织和拉伸性能

铸造Ti-46Al-8Ta合金经过专门设计的组合热处理,实现了晶粒细化.对晶粒细化的Ti-46Al-8Ta合金开展了在700℃大气环境中的热暴露5000h的热稳定性评定.采用光学显微镜、扫描电镜、透射电镜、X射线衍射等技术研究晶粒细化工艺以及热暴露对合金组织的影响,并进行了室温拉伸性能测试.研究发现,铸造Ti-46Al-8Ta合金经热等静压和α单相区固溶+空冷,以及随后的双相区退火能获取晶粒细小的"旋绕态"全片层组织.在700℃长期大气热暴露后,该细化组织发生明显的晶团融合、粗化,并生成出相当数量的B2(ω)和γ新相,导致屈服强度和塑性下降.     

Thermal stability of additively manufactured austenitic 304L ODS alloy

Thermal stability and high-temperature mechanical properties of a 304L austenitic oxide dispersion strengthened(ODS)alloy manufactured via laser powder bed fusion(LPBF)are examined in this work.Additively manufactured 304LODS alloy samples were aged at temperatures of 1000,1100,and 1200℃for 100h in an argon atmosphere.Microstructure characterization of LPBF 304L ODS alloy before and after the thermal stability experiments revealed that despite the annihilation of dislocations,induced cellular substructure by the LPBF process was partially retained in the ODS alloy even after aging at 1200℃.The size of Y-Si-O nanoparticles after aging at 1200℃increased from 25 to 50 nm.EBSD analysis revealed that nanoparticles retained the microstructure of LPBF 304L ODS and hindered recrystallization and further grain growth.At 600℃and 800℃,the yield stress of the 290 and 145 MPa were measured,respectively,which are substantially higher than 113 MPa,and 68 MPa for 304L at the same temperatures.Furthermore,the creep properties of LPBF 304L ODS alloy were evaluated at a temperature of 700℃under three applied stresses of 70,85,and 100 MPa yielding a stress exponent(n)of～7.7;the minimum creep rate at 100 MPa was found to be about two orders of magnitude lower than found in the literature for wrought 304L stainless steel.     

The three-prong method: a novel assessment of residual stress in laser powder bed fusion

ABSTRACT

Residual stress is a major problem for most metal-based laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) components. Residual stress can be reduced by appropriate build planning and post-process heat treatments; however, it is not always avoidable and can lead to build failures due to distortion and cracking. Accurate measurement of residual stress levels can be difficult due to high equipment set-up costs and long processing times. This paper introduces a simple but novel method of measuring residual stresses via a three-pronged cantilever component, the three-prong method (TPM). The method allows for a quick and easy characterisation of residual stress for a wide range of machine parameters, build strategies and materials. Many different cantilever designs have been used to indicate residual stress within additive manufacturing techniques. All of which share the same shortcoming that they indicate stress in one direction. If the principal component of stress is not aligned with the beam geometry, it will underestimate peak stress values. A novel three-prong design is proposed which covers two dimensions by utilising three adjoined cantilever beams, a configuration which echoes that of hole-drilling where three measurements are used to calculate the stress field around a drilled hole. Each arm of the component resembles a curved bridge-like structure; one end of each bridge is cut away from the base plate leaving the centre intact. Deformation of the beams is then measured using a co-ordinate measurement machine. Stress profiles are then estimated using finite element analysis by meshing the deflected structure and forcing it back to its original shape. In this paper, the new TPM is used to compare the residual stress levels of components built in Ti–6Al–4V with different hatch patterns, powers and exposure times.     

Predictive process mapping for laser powder bed fusion: A review of existing analytical solutions

One of the main challenges in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process is making dense and defect-free components. These porosity defects are dependent upon the melt pool geometry and the processing conditions. Power-velocity (PV) processing maps can aid in visualizing the effects of LPBF processing variables and mapping different defect regimes such as lack-of-fusion, under-melting, balling, and keyholing. This work presents an assessment of existing analytical equations and models that provide an estimate of the melt pool geometry as a function of material properties. The melt pool equations are then combined with defect criteria to provide a quick approximation of the PV processing maps for a variety of materials. Finally, the predictions of these processing maps are compared with experimental data from the literature. The predictive processing maps can be computed quickly and can be coupled with dimensionless numbers and high-throughput (HT) experiments for validation. The present work provides a boundary framework for designing the optimal processing parameters for new metals and alloys based on existing analytical solutions.     

High cycle fatigue life estimation of materials processed by laser powder bed fusion

The fatigue life of metal components is known to depend on the surface topography. For components made by laser powder bed fusion, the roughness of the as‐built surfaces depends on the orientation of the component surface with respect to the build plate. Surface topographies of AlSi10Mg and Inconel 718 specimens built at 0° to 90° inclination, with 15° increments, were characterised by white light interferometry. Two methods for calculating the stress concentration factor using the surface roughness data are proposed, and the results of each approach are presented and compared. Moreover, a finite element model was developed, in order to analyse the stress field when subsurface porosity is present. The fatigue lifetime estimates suggest that the lifetime of components may differ up to two orders of magnitude, depending on the build orientation.     

Microstructures and tensile properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy by continuous extrusion forming process

The objective of this study is to investigate the possibility of continuous extrusion forming (Conform process) of AZ31 magnesium alloy. The results indicate that continuous extrusion forming can refine the structure, improve the degree of the structure homogeneity and change the crystal orientation of basal plane and hence enhance the ductility but decrease tensile strength at room temperature. The fracture mechanisms of the material prepared by Conform process change from the mixture of ductile and brittle to the full dimpled rupture compared with the conventional extrudate.     

An additively manufactured Al-14.1Mg-0.47Si-0.31Sc-0.17Zr alloy with high specific strength,good thermal stability and excellent corrosion resistance

A novel Al-14.1 Mg-0.47 Si-0.31 Sc-0.17 Zr alloy was applied in the printing process of selective laser melting(SLM),and the corresponding microstructural feature,phase identification,tensile properties and corrosion behavior of the Al Mg Si Sc Zr alloy were studied in detail.As fabricated at 160 W and 200 mm/s,the Mg content of bulk sample decreased to 11.7 wt%due to the element vaporization at high energy density,and the density of this additively manufactured Al Mg Si Sc Zr alloy was 2.538 g/cm³,which is4.2%8.5%lighter than that of other SLM-processed Al alloys.After heat-treated(HT)at 325℃and 6 h,the microstructure was almost unchanged with an alternate distribution of fine equiaxed crystals and coarse columnar crystals.Nano-sized Al3(Sc,Zr)and Mg₂Si phases precipitated dispersedly in the Al matrix,and the tensile strength increased from 487.6 MPa to 578.4 MPa for precipitation strengthening and fine grain strengthening.With a fine grain size of 2.53μm,an excellent corrosion resistance was obtained for the as-printed(AP)Al Mg Si Sc Zr alloy.While the corrosion resistance of HT sample decreased slightly for the formation of non-dense oxide layer and pitting corrosion induced by diffuse precipitation distribution.This SLM-printed Al Mg Si Sc Zr alloy with high specific strength,good thermal stability and excellent corrosion resistance has broad prospects for the aerospace and automotive applications.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Ti-6Al-4V-5% hydroxyapatite composite fabricated using electron beam powder bed fusion

A novel, Ti-6 Al-4 V(Ti64)/Hydroxyapatite(HA at 5% by weight concentration) metal/ceramic composite has been fabricated using electron beam powder bed fusion(EPBF) additive manufacturing(AM): specifically, the commercial electron beam melting(EBM?) process. In addition to solid Ti64 and Ti64/5% HA samples, four different unit cell(model) open-cellular mesh structures for the Ti64/5% HA composite were fabricated having densities ranging from 0.68 to 1.12 g/cm~3, and corresponding Young's moduli ranging from 2.9 to 8.0 GPa, and compressive strengths ranging from ~3 to 11 MPa. The solid Ti64/5%HA composite exhibited an optimal tensile strength of 123 MPa, and elongation of 5.5% in contrast to a maximum compressive strength of 875 MPa. Both the solid composite and mesh samples deformed primarily by brittle deformation, with the mesh samples exhibiting erratic, brittle crushing. Solid, EPBF-fabricated Ti64 samples had a Vickers microindentation hardness of 4.1 GPa while the Ti64/5%HA solid composite exhibited a Vickers microindentation hardness of 6.8 GPa. The lowest density Ti64/5%HA composite mesh strut sections had a Vickers microindentation hardness of 7.1 GPa. Optical metallography(OM) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) analysis showed the HA dispersoids to be highly segregated along domain or grain boundaries, but homogeneously distributed along alpha(hcp) platelet boundaries within these domains in the Ti64 matrix for both the solid and mesh composites. The alpha platelet width varied from ~5 μm in the EPBF-fabricated Ti64 to ~1.1 m for the Ti64/5%HA mesh strut. The precursor HA powder diameter averaged 5 μm, in contrast to the dispersed HA particle diameters in the Ti64/5%HA composite which averaged 0.5 m. This work highlights the use of EPBF AM as a novel process for fabrication of a true composite structure, consisting of a Ti64 matrix and interspersed and exposed HA domains, which to the authors' knowledge has not been reported before. The results also illustrate the prospects not only for fabricating specialized, novel composite bone replacement scaffolds and implants, through the combination of Ti64 and HA, but also prospects for producing a variety of related metal/ceramic composites using EPBF AM.     

Microstructure and tensile properties of friction welded aluminum alloy AA7075-T6

Solid-state welding processes like friction welding and friction stir welding are now being actively considered for welding aluminum alloy AA7075. In this work, friction welding of AA7075-T6 rods of 13 mm diameter was investigated with an aim to understand the effects of process parameters on weld microstructure and tensile properties. Welds made with various process parameter combinations (incorporating Taguchi methods) were subjected to tensile tests. Microstructural studies and hardness tests were also conducted. The results show that sound joints in AA7075-T6 can be achieved using friction welding, with a joint efficiency of 89% in as-welded condition with careful selection of process parameters. The effects of process parameters are discussed in detail based on microstructural observations.     

Effect of aging on the tensile properties and microstructures of a near-alpha titanium alloy

The effect of aging temperature between 650 °C and 750 °C for different aging times on the tensile properties and microstructures of Ti60 alloy were studied. The results show that the strength of the alloy increases first and then decreases with the aging temperature increases from 650 °C to 750 °C. The reduction of area of the alloy is more sensitive to the aging time than elongation. With increasing aging temperature and time, the volume fracture and grain size of silicides and α₂ phase increase gradually. The silicides have the strengthen effect on the Ti60 alloy, but the effect weakens when the silicides grow up. The loss of ductility is mainly attributed to the precipitation of α₂ phase after aging treatment.     

Tensile behavior change depending on the microstructure of a Fe–Cu alloy produced from rapidly solidified powder

The relationship between consolidating temperature and the tensile behavior of iron alloy produced from Fe–Cu rapidly solidified powder is investigated. Fe–Cu powder fabricated by high-pressure water atomization was consolidated by heavy rolling at 873–1273 K. Microstructural changes were observed and tensile behavior was examined. Tensile behavior varies as the consolidating temperature changes, and these temperature-dependent differences depend on the morphology of the microstructure on the order of micrometers. The sample consolidated at 873 K shows a good strength/elongation balance because the powder microstructure and primary powder boundaries are maintained. The samples consolidated at the higher temperatures have a microstructure of recrystallized grains, and these recrystallized samples show the conventional relationship between tensile behavior and grain size in ordinal bulk materials.     

Microstructure,tensile properties and creep behavior of Al-12Si-3.5Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg alloy produced by different casting technologies

The relationship between the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of the Al-12Si-3.5Cu-2Ni-0.8Mg alloys produced by permanent mold casting (PMC) and high pressure die casting (HPDC) is investigated. The alloys in both PMC and HPDC consist of Al, Si, Al₅Cu₂Mg₈Si₆, Al₃CuNi, and Al₇Cu₄Ni phase. However, the microstructure of the HPDC alloy is significantly refined. Compared to the PMC alloy, the ultimate tensile strength of the HPDC alloy is significantly increased from 244 MPa to 310 MPa, while the elongation shows a reverse trend at room temperature. At low stress and temperature range, slight variations of stress exponent and activation energy indicate that the minimum creep rate is controlled by the grain boundary creep. Then the minimum creep rate is higher for the specimen with the smaller grain size, where grain boundary creep is the dominant creep mechanism. At high stress region, the stress exponent for the PMC alloy and HPDC alloy is 5.18 and 3.07, respectively. The different stress exponents and activation energies measured at high stress and high temperature range indicates that the creep mechanism varies with the casting technologies.     

Post‐treatment selection for tailored fatigue performance of 18Ni300 maraging steel manufactured by laser powder bed fusion

This study investigates the fatigue behaviour of additively manufactured 18Ni300 maraging steel. Specifically, the surface and material parameters impacting fatigue performance are analysed through various post‐treatment combinations. Vertically built miniaturised test samples produced by laser powder bed fusion are tested in as‐built and age‐hardening heat‐treated conditions. To utilise the potential of using additive manufacturing for complex‐shaped parts in which conventional machining tools could have limited access, vibratory finishing and sand blasting are employed. The fatigue results show that in as‐built microstructural condition, both the surface treatments significantly enhanced the fatigue performance, with vibratory finishing outperforming sand blasting owing to better surface finish. After heat treatment, sand‐blasted samples performed better than vibratory‐finished ones because of higher residual stresses. This competing interaction between post‐treatments sheds light on identifying the relative influence of various factors. With systematic postfracture and microstructural analyses highlighting the fatigue influencing factors, recommendations are drawn to select post‐treatments to achieve the desired fatigue performance.     

Microstructure and tensile properties of the laser welded TWIP steel and the deformation behavior of the fusion zone

Microstructure and tensile properties of the laser welded joint of Fe–18.8Mn–0.6C TWIP steel were investigated in this research. The microstructure of fusion zone (FZ) was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). TEM and in-situ SEM observation were employed to investigate the microstructural evolution and strengthening mechanism of FZ during deformation. The welded joint with a fully austenitic structure was obtained by the laser welding. The granular divorced eutectic phases (Fe, Mn)₃C and inclusions formed in the interdendritic regions during the solidification of FZ. The fully austenitic structure and coarse dendrite grains were responsible for the fracture at the weld seam. The FZ exhibited a good combination of strength (e.g. tensile strength up to 1000 MPa) and ductility (e.g. total elongation up to 73%). The microstructural evolution revealed that dislocation slip was the main deformation mechanism at low strains of FZ, while at relatively high strains, mechanical twinning was the domain deformation mechanism and played an important role in improving the strength and ductility as well as the work-hardening effect of FZ.