Robust interface and excellent as-built mechanical properties of Ti–6Al–4V fabricated through laser-aided additive manufacturing with powder and wire

The feasibility of manufacturing Ti-6Al-4V samples through a combination of laser-aided additive manufacturing with powder(LAAM_(p))and wire(LAAM_(w))was explored.A process study was first conducted to successfully circumvent defects in Ti-6Al-4V deposits for LAAM_(p) and LAAM_(w),respectively.With the optimized process parameters,robust interfaces were achieved between powder/wire deposits and the forged substrate,as well as between powder and wire deposits.Microstructure characterization results revealed the epitaxial prior β grains in the deposited Ti-6Al-4V,wherein the powder deposit was dominated by a finerα′microstructure and the wire deposit was characterized by lamellar α phases.The mechanisms of microstructure formation and correlation with mechanical behavior were analyzed and discussed.The mechanical properties of the interfacial samples can meet the requirements of the relevant Aerospace Material Specifications(AMS 6932)even without post heat treatment.No fracture occurred within the interfacial area,further suggesting the robust interface.The findings of this study highlighted the feasibility of combining LAAM_(p) and LAAM_(w) in the direct manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V parts in accordance with the required dimensional resolution and deposition rate,together with sound strength and ductility balance in the as-built condition.

A critical review of direct laser additive manufacturing ceramics

The urgent need for integrated molding and sintering across various industries has inspired the development of additive manu-facturing(AM)ceramics.Among the different AM technologies,direct laser additive manufacturing(DLAM)stands out as a group of highly promising technology for flexibly manufacturing ceramics without molds and adhesives in a single step.Over the last decade,sig-nificant and encouraging progress has been accomplished in DLAM of high-performance ceramics,including Al_(2)O_(3),ZrO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3)/ZrO_(2),SiC,and others.However,high-performance ceramics fabricated by DLAM face challenges such as formation of pores and cracks and resultant low mechanical properties,hindering their practical application in high-end equipment.Further improvements are necessary be-fore they can be widely adopted.Methods such as field-assisted techniques and post-processing can be employed to address these chal-lenges,but a more systematic review is needed.This work aims to critically review the advancements in direct selective laser sintering/melting(SLS/SLM)and laser directed energy deposition(LDED)for various ceramic material systems.Additionally,it provides an overview of the current challenges,future research opportunities,and potential applications associated with DLAM of high-perform-ance ceramics.

Study of the intrinsic mechanisms of nickel additive for grain refinement and strength enhancement of laser aided additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V

It is well-known that grain refiners can tailor the microstructure and enhance the mechanical properties of titanium alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing(AM). However, the intrinsic mechanisms of Ni addition on AM-built Ti–6Al–4V alloy is not well established. This limits its industrial applications. This work systematically investigated the influence of Ni additive on Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated by laser aided additive manufacturing(LAAM). The results showed that Ni addition yields three key effects on the microstructural evolution of LAAM-built Ti–6Al–4V alloy.(a) Ni additive remarkably refines the prior-β grains, which is due to the widened solidification range. As the Ni addition increased from 0 to 2.5 wt. %, the major-axis length and aspect ratio of the prior-β grains reduced from over 1500 μm and 7 to 97.7 μm and1.46, respectively.(b) Ni additive can discernibly induce the formation of globular α phase,which is attributed to the enhanced concentration gradient between the β and α phases. This is the driving force of globularization according to the termination mass transfer theory. The aspect ratio of the α laths decreased from 4.14 to 2.79 as the Ni addition increased from 0 to2.5 wt. %.(c) Ni as a well-known β-stabilizer and it can remarkably increase the volume fraction of β phase. Room-temperature tensile results demonstrated an increase in mechanical strength and an almost linearly decreasing elongation with increasing Ni addition. A modified mathematical model was used to quantitatively analyze the strengthening mechanism. It was evident from the results that the α lath phase and the solid solutes contribute the most to the overall yield strength of the LAAM-built Ti–6Al–4V–x Ni alloys in this work. Furthermore, the decrease in elongation with increasing Ni addition is due to the deterioration in deformability of the β phase caused by a large amount of solid-solution Ni atoms. These findings can accelerate the development of additively manufactured titanium alloys.

Effect of cyclic heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of laser aided additive manufacturing Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo alloy

Globularαphases can significantly improve the ductility of titanium alloys.Cyclic heat treatment(CHT)has been proved to be an effective way to induce the formation of globularαphases inα+βtitanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V fabricated by laser aided additive manufacturing(LAAM).However,there is no prior research reporting methods for obtaining globularαphases in LAAM-built near-αtitanium alloys.This work investigated the cyclic heat treatment(CHT)procedures suitable for the LAAM-built near-αtitanium alloy Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo(Ti6242)to attain the globularαphases.The results show that 980℃ is the most suitable upper temperature limit for CHT.However,it is difficult to achieve a high volume fraction of the globularαphases in the LAAM-built Ti6242 alloys through CHT,which is ascribed to the low composition gradient caused by moreα-stabilizing elements and fewerβ-stabilizing elements.The as-built sample demonstrated elongation of 6.3%,which is lower than the AMS 4919J standard(elongation≥10%).After 980℃ CHT and 980℃ CHT with solution heat-treatment,the formation of the globularαphases significantly increased the elongation to 13.5%and 12.9%,respectively.Although the mechanical strength is reduced after heat-treatment,the room-temperature tensile properties still exceed the AMS 4919J standard.Fractography examination showed that the as-built sample exhibited a mixed brittle and ductile fracture behavior,while the 980℃ CHT and 980℃ CHT with solution heat-treated samples displayed ductile fracture.

Additive manufacturing of steel–copper functionally graded material with ultrahigh bonding strength

Additive manufacturing enables processing of functionally graded materials(FGMs)with flexible spatial design and high bonding strength.A steel-copper FGM with high interfacial strength was developed using laser powder bed fusion(LPBF).The effect of laser process parameters on interfacial defects was evaluated by X-ray tomography,which indicates a low porosity level of 0.042%therein.Gradient/fine dendritic grains in the interface are incited by high cooling rates,which facilitates interface strengthening.Multiple mechanical tests evaluate the bonding reliability of interface;and the fatigue tests further substantiate the ultrahigh bonding strength in FGMs,which is superior to traditional manufacturing methods.Mechanisms of the high interfacial bond strength were also discussed.