Review on laser directed energy deposited aluminum alloys

Lightweight aluminum(Al)alloys have been widely used in frontier fields like aerospace and automotive industries,which attracts great interest in additive manufacturing(AM)to process high-value Al parts.As a mainstream AM technique,laser-directed energy deposition(LDED)shows good scalability to meet the requirements for large-format component manufacturing and repair.However,LDED Al alloys are highly challenging due to their inherent poor printability(e.g.low laser absorption,high oxidation sensitivity and cracking tendency).To further promote the development of LDED high-performance Al alloys,this review offers a deep understanding of the challenges and strategies to improve printability in LDED Al alloys.The porosity,cracking,distortion,inclusions,element evaporation and resultant inferior mechanical properties(worse than laser powder bed fusion)are the key challenges in LDED Al alloys.Processing parameter optimizations,in-situ alloy design,reinforcing particle addition and field assistance are the efficient approaches to improving the printability and performance of LDED Al alloys.The underlying correlations between processes,alloy innovation,characteristic microstructures,and achievable performances in LDED Al alloys are discussed.The benchmark mechanical properties and primary strengthening mechanism of LDED Al alloys are summarized.This review aims to provide a critical and in-depth evaluation of current progress in LDED Al alloys.Future opportunities and perspectives in LDED high-performance Al alloys are also outlined.

Ceramic particles reinforced copper matrix composites manufactured by advanced powder metallurgy:preparation, performance, and mechanisms

Copper matrix composites doped with ceramic particles are known to effectively enhance the mechanical properties,thermal expansion behavior and high-temperature stability of copper while maintaining high thermal and electrical conductivity.This greatly expands the applications of copper as a functional material in thermal and conductive components,including electronic packaging materials and heat sinks,brushes,integrated circuit lead frames.So far,endeavors have been focusing on how to choose suitable ceramic components and fully exert strengthening effect of ceramic particles in the copper matrix.This article reviews and analyzes the effects of preparation techniques and the characteristics of ceramic particles,including ceramic particle content,size,morphology and interfacial bonding,on the diathermancy,electrical conductivity and mechanical behavior of copper matrix composites.The corresponding models and influencing mechanisms are also elaborated in depth.This review contributes to a deep understanding of the strengthening mechanisms and microstructural regulation of ceramic particle reinforced copper matrix composites.By more precise design and manipulation of composite microstructure,the comprehensive properties could be further improved to meet the growing demands of copper matrix composites in a wide range of application fields.

Application of nanoparticles in cast steel:An overview

The innovative and environmentally friendly methodologies for comprehensively enhancing the performances of high-strength steels without damage to plasticity,toughness and heat/corrosion/fatigue resistance are being developed.In recent years,nanoparticles elevate the field of high-strength steel.It is proposed that nanoparticles have the potential to replace conventional semi-coherent intermetallic compounds,carbides and alloying to optimize the steel.The fabrication process is simplified and the cost is lower compared with the traditional methods.Considerable research effort has been directed towards high-performance cast steels reinforced with nanoparticles due to potential application in major engineering.Nanoparticles are found to be capable of notably optimizing the nucleation behavior and precipitate process.The prominently optimized microstructure configuration and performances of cast steel can be acquired synchronously.In this review,the lattice matching and valence electron criterion between diverse nanoparticles and steel are summarized,and the existing various preparation methods are compared and analyzed.At present,there are four main methods to introduce nanoparticles into steel:external nanoparticle method,internal nanoparticle method,in-situ reaction method,and additive manufacturing method.These four methods have their own advantages and limitations,respectively.In this review,the synthesis,selection principle and strengthening mechanism of nanoparticles in cast steels for the above four methods are discussed in detail.Moreover,the main preparation methods and microstructure manipulation mechanism of the steel reinforced with different nanoparticles have been systematically expatiated.Finally,the development and future potential research directions of the application of nanoparticles in cast steel are prospected.

The Relationship Between Oxidation and Thermal Fatigue of Martensitic Hot-Work Die Steels

Thermal fatigue behaviors of two forged hot-work die steels subjected to cyclic heating （650 ℃）-water quenching were investigated. A martensitic hot-work die steel containing 10% Cr （HHD）, showing superior oxidation resistance and thermal fatigue resistance to the commercial martensitic hot-work die steel （Uddeholm DIEVAR ）, was developed. The maximal crack length in HHD was 35% shorter than that in DIEVAR after 2000 thermal cycles, and the hot yield strength at 650℃ of HHD was 14% lower than that of DIEVAR prior to thermal fatigue testing, which is 30% higher after 1500 cycles. It is found that cracks initiated and propagated along the oxide layers in the grain boundaries, suggesting that the oxidation-induced thermal fatigue cracks can significantly reduce the mechanical performance and service life for the hot- work die steel. High-temperature oxidation behavior is crucial for thermal fatigue crack formation, while high-temperature yield strength and ductility play a less important role.

Bimodal microstructure – A feasible strategy for high-strength and ductile metallic materials

Introducing a bimodal grain-size distribution has been demonstrated an efficient strategy for fabricating high-strength and ductile metallic materials, where fine grains provide strength, while coarse grains enable strain hardening and hence decent ductility. Over the last decades, research activities in this area have grown enormously, including interesting results onfcc Cu, Ni and Al-Mg alloys as well as steel and Fe alloys via various thermo-mechanical processing approaches. However, investigations on bimodal Mg and other hcp metals are relatively few. A brief overview of the available approaches based on thermo- mechanical processing technology in producing bimodal microstructure for various metallic materials is given, along with a summary of unusual mechanical properties achievable by bimodality, where focus is placed on the microstructure-mechanical properties and relevant mechanisms. In addition, key factors that influencing bimodal strategies, such as compositions of starting materials and processing parameters, together with the challenges this research area facing, are identified and discussed briefly.