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.

Revealing precipitation behavior and mechanical response of wire-arc directed energy deposited Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy by tailoring aging procedures

Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy,as a typical magnesium rare-earth(Mg-RE)alloy,is gaining popularity in the advanced equipment manufacturing fields owing to its noticeable age-hardening properties and high specific strength.However,it is extremely challenging to prepare wrought components with large dimensions and complex shapes because of the poor room-temperature processability of Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloy.Herein,we report a wire-arc directed energy deposited(DED)Mg-10.45Gd-2.27Y-0.52Zr(wt.%,GW102K)alloy with high RE content presenting a prominent combination of strength and ductility,realized by tailored nanoprecipitates through an optimized heat treatment procedure.Specifically,the solution-treated sample exhibits excellent ductility with an elongation(EL)of(14.6±0.1)%,while the aging-treated sample at 200°C for 58 h achieves an ultra-high ultimate tensile strength(UTS)of(371±1.5)MPa.Besides,the aging-treated sample at 250°C for 16 h attains a good strength-ductility synergy with a UTS of(316±2.1)MPa and a EL of(8.5±0.1)%.Particularly,the evolution mechanisms of precipitation response induced by various aging parameters and deformation behavior caused by nanoprecipitates type were also systematically revealed.The excellent ductility resulted from coordinating localized strains facilitated by active slip activity.And the ultra-high strength should be ascribed to the dense nano-β'hampering dislocation motion.Additionally,the shearable nano-β1 contributed to the good strength-ductility synergy.This work thus offers insightful understanding into the nanoprecipitates manipulation and performance tailoring for the wire-arc DED preparation of large-sized Mg-Gd-Y-Zr components with complex geometries.

Effect of hot isostatic pressure on the microstructure and tensile properties of γ'-strengthened superalloy fabricated through induction-assisted directed energy deposition

The microstructure characteristics and strengthening mechanism of Inconel738LC(IN-738LC) alloy prepared by using induction-assisted directed energy deposition(IDED) were elucidated through the investigation of samples subjected to IDED under 1050℃ preheating with and without hot isostatic pressing(HIP,1190℃,105 MPa,and 3 h).Results show that the as-deposited sample mainly consisted of epitaxial columnar crystals and inhomogeneously distributed γ’ phases in interdendritic and dendritic core regions.After HIP,grain morphology changed negligibly,whereas the size of the γ’ phase became increasingly even.After further heat treatment(HT,1070℃,2 h + 845℃,24 h),the γ’ phase in the as-deposited and HIPed samples presented a bimodal size distribution,whereas that in the as-deposited sample showed a size that remained uneven.The comparison of tensile properties revealed that the tensile strength and uniform elongation of the HIP + HTed sample increased by 5% and 46%,respectively,due to the synergistic deformation of bimodal γ’phases,especially large cubic γ’ phases.Finally,the relationship between phase transformations and plastic deformations in the IDEDed sample was discussed on the basis of generalized stability theory in terms of the trade-off between thermodynamics and kinetics.

Cracking on a nickel-based superalloy fabricated by direct energy deposition

Cracks have consistently been a significant challenge limiting the development of additive manufactured nickel-based superalloys.It is essential to investigate the location of cracks and their forming mechanism.This study extensively examines the impact of solidification process,microstructural evolution,and stress concentration on crack initiation during direct energy deposition(DED).The results emphasize that the crack formation is significantly related to large-angle grain boundaries,rapid cooling rates.Cracks caused by large-angle grain boundaries and a fast-cooling rate predominantly appear near the edge of the deposited samples.Liquation cracks are more likely to form near the top of the deposited sample,due to the presence ofγ/γ'eutectics.The secondary dendritic arm and the carbides in the interdendritic regions can obstruct liquid flow during the final stage of solidification,which results in the formation of solidification cracks and voids.This work paves the way to avoid cracks in nickel-based superalloys fabricated by DED,thereby enhancing the performance of superalloys.

Printability disparities in heterogeneous material combinations via laser directed energy deposition:a comparative study

Additive manufacturing provides achievability for the fabrication of bimetallic and multi-material structures;however,the material compatibility and bondability directly affect the parts’formability and final quality.It is essential to understand the underlying printability of different material combinations based on an adapted process.Here,the printability disparities of two common and attractive material combinations(nickel-and iron-based alloys)are evaluated at the macro and micro levels via laser directed energy deposition(DED).The deposition processes were captured using in situ high-speed imaging,and the dissimilarities in melt pool features and track morphology were quantitatively investigated within specific process windows.Moreover,the microstructure diversity of the tracks and blocks processed with varied material pairs was comparatively elaborated and,complemented with the informative multi-physics modeling,the presented non-uniformity in mechanical properties(microhardness)among the heterogeneous material pairs was rationalized.The differences in melt flow induced by the unlike thermophysical properties of the material pairs and the resulting element intermixing and localized re-alloying during solidification dominate the presented dissimilarity in printability among the material combinations.This work provides an in-depth understanding of the phenomenological differences in the deposition of dissimilar materials and aims to guide more reliable DED forming of bimetallic parts.

Formation mechanism of inherent spatial heterogeneity of microstructure and mechanical properties of NiTi SMA prepared by laser directed energy deposition

Ni51Ti49 at.%bulk was additively manufactured by laser-directed energy deposition(DED)to reveal the microstructure evolution,phase distribution,and mechanical properties.It is found that the localized remelting,reheating,and heat accumulation during DED leads to the spatial heterogeneous distribution of columnar crystal and equiaxed crystal,a gradient distribution of Ni4Ti3 precipitates along the building direction,and preferential formation of Ni4Ti3 precipitates in the columnar zone.The austenite transformation finish temperature(Af)varies from-12.65℃(Z=33 mm)to 60.35℃(Z=10 mm),corresponding to tensile yield strength(σ0.2)changed from 120±30 MPa to 570±20 MPa,and functional properties changed from shape memory effect to superelasticity at room temperature.The sample in the Z=20.4 mm height has the best plasticity of 9.6%and the best recoverable strain of 4.2%.This work provided insights and guidelines for the spatial characterization of DEDed NiTi.

Effect of wire-arc directed energy deposition on the microstructural formation and age-hardening response of the Mg-9Al-1Zn(AZ91)alloy

In recent years,wire-arc directed energy deposition(wa DED),which is also commonly known as wire-arc additive manufacturing(WAAM),has emerged as a promising new fabrication technique for magnesium alloys.The major reason for this is the possibility of producing parts with a complex geometry as well as a fine-grained microstructure.While the process has been shown to be applicable for Mg-Al-Zn alloys,there is still a lack of knowledge in terms of the influence of the WAAM process on the age-hardening response.Consequently,this study deals with the aging response of a WAAM AZ91 alloy.In order to fully understand the mechanisms during aging,first,the as-built condition was analyzed by means of high-energy X-ray diffraction(HEXRD)and scanning electron microscopy.These investigations revealed a finegrained,equiaxed microstructure with adjacent areas of alternating Al content.Subsequently,the difference between single-and double-step aging as well as conventional and direct aging was studied on the as-built WAAM AZ91 alloy for the first time.The aging response during the various heat treatments was monitored via in situ HEXRD experiments.Corroborating electron microscopy and hardness studies were conducted.The results showed that the application of a double-step aging heat treatment at 325℃with pre-aging at 250℃slightly improves the mechanical properties when compared to the single-step heat treatment at 325℃.However,the hardness decreases considerably after the pre-aging step.Thus,aging at lower temperatures is preferable within the investigated temperature range of 250-325℃.Moreover,no significant difference between the conventionally aged and directly aged samples was found.Lastly,the specimens showed enhanced precipitation kinetics during aging as compared to cast samples.This could be attributed to a higher amount of nucleation sites and the particular temperature profile of the solution heat treatment.

Effect of Microstructural Characteristics on Fracture Toughness in Direct Energy Deposited Novel Ti-6Al-4V-1Mo Alloy

Meeting the damage tolerance requirements for engineering-grade titanium alloys pose a significant challenge in achieving high fracture toughness in direct energy deposition(DED)titanium alloys.This work primarily investigated the relationship between the microstructure and the fracture toughness of DED new Ti-6Al-4V-1Mo alloy.Two types of microstructures were designed via two process strategies:high-line energy density(HE)and low-line energy density(LE).Relative to LE samples,HE samples possess larger-sized microstructural characteristics(coarser grain boundaryα(α_(GB)),largerαcolonies,and coarserαlaths).Lessα/βphase boundaries were formed by coarserαlaths in the HE samples,increasing the movement of dislocations,resulting in tensile strength decreasing from 1007.1 MPa(LE)to 930.8 MPa(HE)and elongation increasing from 10.8%(LE)to 15.7%(HE).Also,HE samples exhibited an excellent fracture toughness of 114.0 MPa m^(1/2),significantly higher than that of LE samples(76.8 MPa m^(1/2)).An analysis of crack propagation paths was conducted to investigate the factors contributing to toughening.The primary factor enhancing toughness is the frequent obstruction of cracks by coarseαGB and largeαcolonies in HE samples.Particularly,the pretty large-angle deflections induced by the superposition effect of coarseαGB and largeαcolonies play a vital of significant role.These factors induced the long and tortuous high-energy pathways,which resulted in ultimately improved fracture toughness.The discovered microstructural toughening mechanisms can serve as a reference for future studies involving titanium alloys,offering insights on how to enhance fracture toughness by achieving similar characteristics.

Two-dimensional particle-in-cell modeling of blow-off impulse by X-ray irradiation

Space objects such as spacecraft or missiles may be exposed to intense X-rays in outer space,leading to severe damage.The reinforcement of these objects to reduce the damage caused by X-ray irradiation is a significant concern.The blow-off impulse(BOI)is a crucial physical quantity for investigating material damage induced by X-ray irradiation.However,the accurate calculation of BOI is challenging,particularly for large deformations of materials with complex configurations.In this study,we develop a novel two-dimensional particle-in-cell code,Xablation2D,to calculate BOIs under far-field X-ray irradiation.This significantly reduces the dependence of the numerical simulation on the grid shape.The reliability of this code is verified by simulation results from open-source codes,and the calculated BOIs are consistent with the experimental and analytical results.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of laser-directed energy deposited CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy

The distinctive intrinsic heat treatment(IHT)originating from cyclic reheating in the laser-directed energy deposition(LDED) has attracted growing attention in recent years.In this investigation,simulations and experimental characterizations were performed to examine the impact of IHT on the micros true ture and mechanical properties of LDED-fabricated CrCoNi medium-entropy alloy(MEA).The results show that the intensity of the IHT is proportional to the utilized laser energy density(LED).As the LED increased,significant dynamic recrystallization and grain refinement occurred within the alloy due to the enhanced intensity of IHT.However,the high LED leads to severe hot cracking within the as-built MEA,resulting in inferior ductility.By decreasing LED,the hot cracking was effectively eliminated.Meanwhile,low LED weakened the intensity of IHT and consequently inhibited kinetic conditions of dynamic recrystallization,resulting in a heterogeneous grain structure characterized by multi-scale-sized grains.This structure provides significant hetero-deformation-induced hardening during plastic deformation,enabling the alloy to have a sustainable work-hardening capacity.We expect that this work will have implications in taking full advantage of the unique IHT of the LDED process to fabricate ME As with excellent metallurgical quality and mechanical performance.

Microstructure and mechanical property of additively manufactured NiTi alloys:A comparison between selective laser melting and directed energy deposition

NiTi shape memory alloy(SMA)with nominal composition of Ni 50.8 at%and Ti 49.2 at%was additively manufactured(AM)by selective laser melting(SLM)and laser directed energy deposition(DED)for a comparison study,with emphasis on its phase composition,microstructure,mechanical property and deformation mechanism.The results show that the yield strength and ductility obtained by SLM are 100 MPa and 8%,respectively,which are remarkably different from DED result with 700 MPa and 2%.The load path of SLM sample presents shape memory effect,corresponding to martensite phase detected by XRD;while the load path of DED presents pseudo-elasticity with austenite phase.In SLM sample,fine grain and hole provide a uniform deformation during tensile test,resulting in a better elongation.Furthermore,the nonequilibrium solidification was studied by a temperature field simulation to understand the difference of the two 3D printing methods.Both temperature gradient G and growth rate R determine the microstructure and phase in the SLM sample and DED sample,which leads to similar grain morphologies because of similar G/R.While higher G×R of SLM leads to a finer grain size in SLM sample,providing enough driving force for martensite transition and subsequently changing texture compared to DED sample.

The Distortion of Energy Deposit Distribution of (12)～C Ions in Water

The transport process of 12C ions in water was studied with SRIM code and Geant4 toolkit. The SRIM results indicate that the transverse diffusion of 12C ion beam causes distortion of energy deposit along the beam direction. The distortion becomes more notable as the transverse diffusion increases. The simulation results of Geant4 indicate that the influence of secondary fragments on energy deposit distribution would be the main factor causing the distortion in higher energy range. In the region adjacent to the beam line where the contribution from 12C ions domi- nates, the contributions from secondary fragments are ignorable. The further from the beam axis the region locates, the larger the contributions from secondary fragments, until the contributions from secondary fragments are ignorable. The further from the beam axis the region locates, the larger the contributions from secondary fragments, until the contributions from secondary frag- ments exceed that of 12C. Among all the secondary fragments, the contributions of H, He and B ions are mostly notable. It is also found that some positron-emitting secondary fragments could be very useful for position emitting tomography （PET）.

Numerical Simulation of Radial and Angular Distribution of γ-Ray's Energy Deposition in Scintillation Optical Fibre

Angular and radial distributions of the energy deposition of γ-ray radiation in scintillation optical fibres are simulated and analysed using the Geant4 system. The results show a linear relation between the energy deposition and the radius of the fibres. The deposition is roughly inversely proportional to sinθ with θ the incident angle relative to the fibre axis. The results could provide corrections to the measurements of the scintillation fibres used in monitoring the γ-ray radiation.

An experimental study on effects of temperature gradient on microstructure of a 308L stainless steel manufactured by directed energy deposition

The effect of spatial temperature gradient on the microstructural evolution of a 308L stainless steel during the directed energy deposition(DED)process was experimentally investigated.A novel cooling system was designed and incorporated to a DED system in order to control the temperature gradient along the deposition direction during solidification.During deposition,the workpiece was placed on a lifting platform,and as the deposition process proceeded,the platform and workpiece were gradually lowered into cooling water so that the temperature gradient along the deposition direction could be controlled and maintained stable during the deposition process.The microstructure characterization results indicated that a deposition strategy with higher G and G/R values(where G is temperature gradient and R is solidification rate)produced finer cellular grains that were better aligned with the deposition direction,while a deposition strategy with lower G and G/R values produced columnar grains with larger primary arm spacing and less aligned with the deposition direction.

Pore Formation Mechanism in W-C Hard Coatings Using Directed Energy Deposition on Tungsten Alloy

Porosity is a common phenomenon and can significantly hinder the quality of the coating.Here,the pore formation mechanism and the characteristics of the single tracks of the W-C coating using directed energy deposition(DED)are systematically investigated.The forming quality of the tracks,the distribution of the pores,and the elemental distribution near the pores are analyzed by the observations of the cross-sections of the tracks.The temperature field of the melt pool is discussed comprehensively to reveal the pore formation mechanism.The results confirm that Ni and Co evaporated during the DED process due to the high temperature of the melt pool.Pores were continuously produced adjacent to the fusion line when the melt pool was about to solidify since the temperature at the solidification front was higher than the boiling point of Ni.The vaporization area at the fusion line was proposed,where Ni could also evaporate at the time the melt pool started to solidify.The relationship between the solidification rate,the size of the vaporization area and the DED parameters(laser power and scanning speed)was established to discuss the causes of severe pores above the fusion line.This work contains a practical guide to reduce or eliminate the porosity in the coating preparation process on the surface of the tungsten alloy.

Influence of tungsten particle size on microstructure and mechanical properties of high strength and tough tungsten particle-reinforced nickel-based composites by laser-direct energy deposition

Tungsten(W)particle-reinforced nickel(Ni)-based composites were fabricated via laser-direct energy de-position(L-DED).The influence of the W particle size on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the deposited samples was systematically studied.The results indicate that refining the W particle size could refine theγ-Ni grains and subgrains,thin the(Ni,Cr)_(4)W interface layer,and increase the disloca-tion density of the intergranular matrix,thus improving the tensile strength and elongation of the L-DED samples.As W particle size decreased from 75 to 150μm to 6.5-12μm,the tensile strength and elonga-tion of the deposited samples increased by 150 MPa and 2.9 times to 1347.6±15.7 MPa and 17.5±0.4%,respectively.Based on the properties of the interface(Ni,Cr)_(4)W,a load-transfer efficiency factor suitable for this composite was proposed and the load-transfer strengthening formula was optimized.A quanti-tative analysis of the strengthening mechanisms was established considering load-transfer strengthening,Hall-Petch strengthening,thermal-mismatch strengthening,and solid-solution strengthening.The calcu-lated contribution of each strengthening mechanism to the yield strength and theoretical calculations were in good agreement with the experimental data.The article breaks the bottleneck of poor plasticity of W particle-reinforced Ni-based composites prepared by L-DED and provides a theoretical basis for the construction design of W particle-reinforced Ni-based composites with excellent mechanical properties.

High-temperature tribological performance of functionally graded Stellite 6/WC metal matrix composite coatings manufactured by laser-directed energy deposition

Wear-driven tool failure is one of the main hurdles in the industry.This issue can be addressed through surface coating with ceramic-reinforced metal matrix composites.However,the maximum ceramic content is limited by cracking.In this work,the tribological behaviour of the functionally graded WC-ceramic-particlereinforced Stellite 6 coatings is studied.To that end,the wear resistance at room temperature and 400°C is investigated.Moreover,the tribological analysis is supported by crack sensitivity and hardness evaluation,which is of utmost importance in the processing of composite materials with ceramic-particle-reinforcement.Results indicate that functionally graded materials can be employed to increase the maximum admissible WC content,hence improving the tribological behaviour,most notably at high temperatures.Additionally,a shift from abrasive to oxidative wear is observed in high-temperature wear testing.

Performance Calibration Using Cosmic Rays for the Multi-Neutron Correlation Spectrometer

Efficient calibration methods have been applied to a complex neutron detector array by using the cosmic-ray muons. Through a differential operation on the time difference spectrum, the two edges of this spectrum can be precisely determined, corresponding to the geometrical two ends of the bar, and therefore the relationship between the position and time difference spectrum can be deduced for each bar. The alignment between different bars is realized by choosing cosmic- rays which are perpendicular to the bars. The position resolutions are extracted through a track fitting procedure which uses all tracks detected coincidently by the whole system, together with a simulation analysis. A method is also developed to calibrate the deposited energy by using cosmic-rays at different incident angles.

Simulation of temporal characteristics of ion-velocity susceptibility to single event upset effect

Using a Monte Carlo simulation tool of the multi-functional package for SEEs Analysis （MUFPSA）, we study the temporal characteristics of ion-velocity susceptibility to the single event upset （SEU） effect, including the deposited energy, traversed time within the device, and profile of the current pulse. The results show that the averaged dposited energy decreases with the increase of the ion-velocity, and incident ions of 2~9Bi have a wider distribution of energy deposition than 132Xe at the same ion-velocity. Additionally, the traversed time presents an obvious decreasing trend with the increase of ion-velocity. Concurrently, ion-velocity certainly has an influence on the current pulse and then it presents a particular regularity. The detailed discussion is conducted to estimate the relevant linear energy transfer （LET） of incident ions and the SEU cross section of the testing device from experiment and simulation and to critically consider the metric of LET.

Effects of heat treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing process

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 alloy fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing process were evaluated under as-prepared and heat-treated conditions.A dendritic Ni-based solid solution phase along with(Nb,Ti)C carbide,Laves,and δ-Ni3Nb secondary phases were developed in the microstructure of the as-prepared alloy.Solution heat treatment led to the dissolution of Laves and Ni3Nb phases.In addition,dendrites were replaced with large columnar grains.Aging heat treatment resulted in the formation of grain boundary M23C6 carbide and nanometric γ''precipitates.Hardness,yield and tensile strengths,as well as elongation of the as-prepared part,were close to those of the cast alloy and its fracture occurred in a transgranular ductile mode.Solution heat treatment improved hardness and yield strength and declined the elongation,but it did not have a considerable impact on the tensile strength.Furthermore,aging heat treatment caused the tensile properties to deteriorate and changed the fracture to a mixture of transgranular ductile and intergranular brittle mode.