The mimicry of crystalline microstructure at meso-scale creates a new class of architected materials, termed meta-crystals, and offers effective ways to significantly improve the toughness and eliminate the post-yield collapse of architected materials. This study investigated the mechanical behaviour of polygrain-like meta-crystals fabricated from Ti6Al4V by laser powder bed fusion. The mechanical behaviour of Ti6Al4V meta-crystals is governed by lattice structures across length-scales: the crystalline microstructure, architected crystal-like mesostructures and the quality of lattice struts. Due to the intricate architecture, significant processing defects were seen in the printed meta-crystals, in particular notch-like defects due to lack of fusion at the free surface of struts. Such defects raised stress concentration and reduced the load-bearing area of struts, hence significantly weakening the lattice struts. In addition, the as-printed condition was brittle due to the presence of acicular alpha' martensites. The defects and the as-printed brittleness led to the premature fracture of struts and compromised the benefits of the crystal-inspired mesostructures. The study subsequently conducted multiple measures to resolve this issue: increasing the strut diameter to reduce the influence of the process defects, and annealing to relieve internal stresses and regain ductility. The combination of the increase in strut diameter and annealing successfully enabled the crystal-like architected mesostructure to effectively improve the toughness of the meta-crystals.
Aluminium alloy AA7075 (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) specimens were prepared using selective laser melting, also known as powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. In the as-manufactured state, which represents a locally rapidly solidified condition, the prevalence of a previously unreported icosahedral quasicrystal with 5-fold symmetry was observed. The icosahedral quasicrystal, which has been termed nu-phase, was comprised of Zn, Cu and Mg.
To model and quantify the variability in plasticity and failure of additively manufactured metals due to imperfections in their microstructure, we have developed uncertainty quantification methodology based on pseudo marginal likelihood and embedded variability techniques. We account for both the porosity resolvable in computed tomography scans of the initial material and the sub-threshold distribution of voids through a physically motivated model. Calibration of the model indicates that the sub-threshold population of defects dominates the yield and failure response. The technique also allows…
The observation of sub-grained cellular features in additively manufactured (AM)/selectively laser melted (SLM) 316L stainless steel components has remained an interesting, though incompletely understood phenomenon. However, the recently observed correlation linking the presence of these features with significantly enhanced mechanical strength in SLM 316L materials has driven a renewed interest and effort toward elucidating the mechanism(s) by which they are formed. To date, the dominant hypothesis, cellular solidification followed by dislocation-solute entanglement, remains incompatible with …
In context of the universal presence of defects in additively manufactured (AM) metals, efficient computational tools are required to rapidly screen AM microstructures for mechanical integrity. To this end, a deep learning approach is used to predict the elastic stress fields in images of defect-containing metal microstructures. A large dataset consisting of the stress response of 100,000 random microstructure images is generated using high-resolution Fast Fourier Transform-based finite element (FFT-FE) calculations, which is then used to train a modified U-Net style convolutional neural netwo…
Additive manufacturing (AM) offers an unprecedented opportunity for the quick production of complex shaped parts directly from a powder precursor. But its application to functional materials in general and magnetic materials in particular is still at the very beginning. Here we present the first attempt to computationally study the microstructure evolution and magnetic properties of magnetic materials (e.g. Fe-Ni alloys) processed by selective laser melting (SLM). SLM process induced thermal history and thus the residual stress distribution in Fe-Ni alloys are calculated by finite element anal…
The additively manufactured titanium aluminide alloy TNM-B1 was characterized microstructurally and mechanically in the as-built and hot isostatically pressed (HIP) condition. Tensile and constant amplitude tests were performed at room temperature and 800 °C. Using fractographic SEM images, the fracture-inducing defect was identified. With the HIP, defect number and size could be reduced, increasing fatigue strength by 43% to 500 MPa. Using the model approaches of Murakami and Shiozawa, the fatigue life was correlated with the local stress intensity factor and could be described as function of…
Lattice structures have tailorable mechanical properties which allows them to exhibit superior mechanical properties (per unit weight) beyond what is achievable through natural materials. In this paper, quasi-static and dynamic behavior of additively manufactured stainless steel lattice cylinders is studied. Cylindrical samples with internal lattice structure are fabricated by a laser powder bed fusion system. Equivalent hollow cylindrical samples with the same length, outer diameter, and mass (larger wall thickness) are also fabricated. Split Hopkinson bar is used to study the behavior of the…
Revealing 3D Strain and Carbide Architectures in Additively Manufactured Ni Superalloys
European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)（欧洲同步辐射装置）；Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy, University of Cambridge（剑桥大学材料科学与工程系）；School of Metallurgy and Materials, University of Birmingham（伯明翰大学冶金与材料学院）；Institut für Werkstofftechnik, Universität Kassel（卡塞尔大学材料技术研究所）；Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Engineering, RMIT University（皇家墨尔本理工大学工程学院增材制造中心）
Microscale dynamic testing is vital to the understanding of material behavior at application relevant strain rates. However, despite two decades of intense micromechanics research, the testing of microscale metals has been largely limited to quasi-static strain rates. Here we report the dynamic compression testing of pristine 3D printed copper micropillars at strain rates from $\sim0.001$ s$^{-1}$ to $\sim500$ s$^{-1}$. It was identified that microcrystalline copper micropillars deform in a single-shear like manner exhibiting a weak strain rate dependence at all strain rates. Ultrafine grained…
The industrialization of Laser Additive Manufacturing (LAM) is challenged by the undesirable microstructures and high residual stresses originating from the fast and complex solidification process. Non-destructive assessment of the mechanical performance controlling deformation patterning is therefore critical. Here, we use Dark Field X-ray Microscopy (DFXM) to non-destructively map the 3D intragranular orientation and strain variations throughout a surface breaking grain within a directed energy deposition nickel superalloy. DFXM results reveal a highly heterogenous 3D microstructure in terms…
Additive Manufacturing (AM) has enabled the fabrication of metallic cellular materials that are of interest in the design of lightweight impact resistant structures. However, there is a need to understand the interactions between: (i) the material architecture, (ii) the AM process parameters, and (iii) the as-built geometry, microstructure and energy absorbing properties. In this work, we investigate the quasi-static and dynamic behaviour of cellular materials manufactured from 316L stainless steel using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Four cellular architectures are considered (octet lattice,…
There are still debates regarding the mechanisms that lead to hot cracking in parts build by additive manufacturing (AM) of non-weldable Ni-based superalloys. This lack of in-depth understanding of the root causes of hot cracking is an impediment to designing engineering parts for safety-critical applications. Here, we deploy a near-atomic-scale approach to investigate the details of the compositional decoration of grain boundaries in the coarse-grained, columnar microstructure in parts built from a non-weldable Ni-based superalloy by selective electron-beam melting. The progressive enrichment…
Additive manufacturing is becoming a technique with great prospects for the production of components with new designs or shapes that are difficult to obtain by conventional manufacturing methods. One of the most promising techniques for printing metallic components is binder jetting, due to its time efficiency and its ability to generate complex parts. In this process, a liquid binding agent is selectively deposited to adhere the powder particles of the printing material. Once the metallic piece is generated, it undergoes a subsequent process of curing and sintering to increase its density (ho…
We investigate the hot cracking susceptibility and creep resistance of three versions of a nickel-based superalloy with different contents of boron, carbon and zirconium fabricated by laser powder bed fusion. Crack-free and creep resistant components are achieved for alloys with boron, carbon and no zirconium. We then rationalize this result by evaluating how boron, carbon and zirconium are distributed at grain boundaries in the as-built and heat-treated microstructures of an alloy containing all these elements. Observations are conducted by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and a…
Surface chemistry investigation of an additively manufactured Al-Mg-Si-Zr alloy: Studies from experiments and first-principles simulation
Chemnitz University of Technology（开姆尼茨工业大学）；Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg（弗莱贝格矿业科技大学）；Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden（德累斯顿莱布尼茨固体与材料研究所）；Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv（基辅塔拉斯舍甫琴科国立大学）
A simulation strategy based in the finite element model was developed to model the corrosion and mechanical properties of biodegradable Mg scaffolds manufactured by laser power bed fusion after immersion in simulated body fluid. Corrosion was simulated through a phenomenological, diffusion-based model which can take into account pitting. The elements in which the concentration of Mg was below a certain threshold (representative of the formation of Mg(OH)2) after the corrosion simulation were deleted for the mechanical simulations, in which Mg was assumed to behave as an isotropic, elastic-perf…
Hydrogen embrittlement in 304L (18wt.% Cr, 8-10wt.% Ni) austenitic stainless steel (ASS) fabricated by laser powder-bed-fusion (LPBF) was investigated by tensile testing after electrochemical hydrogen pre-charging and compared to conventionally available 304L ASSs with two different processing histories, (i) casting plus annealing (CA) and (ii) CA plus thermomechanical treatment (TMT). It was revealed that hydrogen-charging led to a significant reduction in ductility for the CA sample, but only a small effect of hydrogen was observed for the LPBF and CA-TMT samples. Hydrogen-assisted cracking …
Microscale stress-geometry interactions in an additively manufactured NiTi cardiovascular stent: A synchrotron dual imaging tomography and diffraction study
Unravelling the mechanisms underlying crack initiation in additively manufactured steel
University of Michigan（密歇根大学）；ESRF, The European Synchrotron（欧洲同步辐射装置）；Michigan Center for Materials Characterization, University of Michigan（密歇根大学材料表征中心）；ENSCM（法国国家化学工程学院）；Imperial College London（伦敦帝国理工学院）；Mines Paris, PSL University（巴黎矿业学院，PSL大学）
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic components promises many advantages over conventional manufacturing processes through high design flexibility across multiple length scales and precision coupled with an astonishing combination of mechanical properties. Characterizing the relationship between microstructure and mechanical properties remains one of the major challenges for this novel technology. A natural precursor is identifying the influence of the processing path on the developing microstructure. We combine experimental studies of single-track laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) scans of AI…
Experimentally validated and empirically compared machine learning approach for predicting yield strength of additively manufactured multi-principal element alloys from Co-Cr-Fe-Mn-Ni system
NiTi-based high-temperature shape memory alloys (HTSMAs) such as NiTiHf have been utilized in a broad range of applications due to their high strength and work output, as well as, their ability to increase the transformation temperatures (TTs). Recently, additive manufacturing techniques (AM) have been widely used to fabricate complex shape memory alloy components without any major modifications or tooling and has paved the way to tailor the manufacturing and fabrications of microstructure and critical properties of their final parts. NiTi alloys properties such as transformation temperatures …
Defects such as voids are observed at multiple length scales of an additively manufactured composite material. Modeling such defects and their multiscale interaction is crucial for the materials performance prediction. In this work, we study as-built defects in fused filament fabricated Polycarbonate/Short Carbon Fiber (PC/SCF) composite samples. The microscale and mesoscale voids along with the mesoscale layer orientations have been studied using a mechanistic reduced-order model. Our result indicates that the microscale intrabead voids interact with the mesoscale interbead voids and signific…
With a goal of accelerating fabrication of additively manufactured components with precise microstructures, we developed a method for structural characterization of key features in additively manufactured materials and parts. The method utilizes deep learning based on an image-to-image translation conditional Generative Adversarial Neural Network architecture and enables fast and incrementally more accurate predictions of the prevalent geometric features, including melt pool boundaries and printing induced defects visible in etched optical images. These structural details are heterogeneous in …
Dislocation structures, chemical segregation, {γ^{\prime}, {γ^{\prime \prime}}, δ precipitates and Laves phase were quantified within the microstructures of Inconel 718 (IN718) produced by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM) and subjected to standard, direct aging, and modified multi-step heat treatments. Additionally, heat-treated samples still attached to the build plates vs. those removed were also documented for a standard heat treatment. The effects of the different resulting microstructures on room temperature strengths and elongations to failure is revealed. Knowledge de…
In this letter, we provide experimental evidence of bandgap tunability with global prestrain in additively-manufactured tensegrity-inspired lattice structures. These lattices are extremely lightweight and designed to exhibit a nonlinear compressive response that mimics that of a tensegrity structure. We fabricate them out of a stiff polymer but, owing to their peculiar design, they are compliant and remain elastic up to high levels of precompression. In turn, unlike tunable metamaterials made of soft polymers, the response of our lattices is not dominated by damping. We perform experiments on …
Architected materials can achieve enhanced properties compared to their plain counterparts. Specific architecting serves as a powerful design lever to achieve targeted behavior without changing the base material. Thus, the connection between architected structure and resultant properties remains an open field of great interest to many fields, from aerospace to civil to automotive applications. Here, we focus on properties related to mechanical compression, and design hierarchical honeycomb structures to meet specific values of stiffness and compressive stress. To do so, we employ a combination…
Additively manufactured hollow strut bioceramic scaffolds present a promising strategy towards enhanced performance in patient-tailored bone tissue engineering. The channels in such scaffolds offer pathways for nutrient and cell transport and facilitate effective osseointegration and vascularization. In this study, we report an approach for the slurry based additive manufacturing of modified diopside bioceramics that enables the production of hollow-strut scaffolds with diverse cross-sectional forms, distinguished by different configurations of channel and strut geometries. The prepared scaffo…
