Interplay of laser power and pore characteristics in selective laser melting of ZK60 magnesium alloys:A study based on in-situ monitoring and image analysis

This study offers significant insights into the multi-physics phenomena of the SLM process and the subsequent porosity characteristics of ZK60 Magnesium(Mg)alloys.High-speed in-situ monitoring was employed to visualise process signals in real-time,elucidating the dynamics of melt pools and vapour plumes under varying laser power conditions specifically between 40 W and 60 W.Detailed morphological analysis was performed using Scanning-Electron Microscopy(SEM),demonstrating a critical correlation between laser power and pore formation.Lower laser power led to increased pore coverage,whereas a denser structure was observed at higher laser power.This laser power influence on porosity was further confirmed via Optical Microscopy(OM)conducted on both top and cross-sectional surfaces of the samples.An increase in laser power resulted in a decrease in pore coverage and pore size,potentially leading to a denser printed part of Mg alloy.X-ray Computed Tomography(XCT)augmented these findings by providing a 3D volumetric representation of the sample internal structure,revealing an inverse relationship between laser power and overall pore volume.Lower laser power appeared to favour the formation of interconnected pores,while a reduction in interconnected pores and an increase in isolated pores were observed at higher power.The interplay between melt pool size,vapour plume effects,and laser power was found to significantly influence the resulting porosity,indicating a need for effective management of these factors to optimise the SLM process of Mg alloys.

Selective laser melted AZ91D magnesium alloy with superior balance of strength and ductility

In the context of global carbon neutrality, the application of lightweight magnesium alloys is becoming increasingly attractive. In this study, selective laser melting(SLM) was employed to achieve nearly full dense and crack-free AZ91D components with fine equiaxed grain structure. The formation mechanism of typical pore defects(gas pore, lack-of-fusion pore and keyhole pore) and melting modes(keyhole mode and conduction mode) were systematically studied by varying the laser power and scanning speed. The morphology and volume fraction of the pores under different processing conditions were characterized. A criterion based on the depth-to-width ratio of the melt pool was established to identify different melting modes. The strength and ductility(tensile strength up to 340 MPa and uniform elongation of 8.9%)of the as deposited AZ91D are far superior to those of the casting components and are comparable to those of its wrought counterparts.The superior balance of strength and ductility of SLMed AZ91D, as well as the negligible anisotropic properties are mainly ascribed to the extremely fine equiaxed grain structure(with average grain size of ~1.2 μm), as well as the discontinuous distribution of β-Al_(12)Mg_(17) phases. It thus provides an alternative way to fabricate high-strength magnesium alloys with complex geometry.

Effect of Rare Earth on Microstructure of Vacuum Melting Ni-Based Self-Fluxing Alloy Coatings

The Ni-based self-fluxing alloy coating containing RE was acquired by the technique of vacuum melting on the hypoeutectoid steel (Fe-0.45%C) matrix. By X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDX, the microstructure and phase structure of section of coating and the microstructure near the interface between coating and matrix were investigated, and the effect of RE on microstructure of coating was also discussed. The results show that the microstructure of the NiCrBSi alloy coating is composed of Ni-based solid solution and a lot of massive, globular and needle secondary phases CrB, Ni_3B, Cr_7C_3, Cr_(23)C_6 among the solid solution. The metallurgical binding between steel matrix and coating is realized. RE makes needle phase of alloy coating vanish. New phases of NiB and Cr_(6.5)Ni_(2.5)Si are precipitated from alloy coating, and secondary phases of alloy coating are sphericized. Consequently, RE also hinders the diffusion of Ni, Cr and Si atoms from coating to matrix and Fe atoms from matrix to coating, holds back the dilution of Fe for NiCrBSi alloy coating, and assures the chemical composition of the alloy coating.

Effects of rare earth La on the microstructure and melting property of(Ag-Cu_(28))-30Sn alloys prepared by mechanical alloying

To obtain novel intermediate temperature alloy solders with a melting temperature of 400-600°C,nominal（Ag-Cu28）-30Sn alloys without or with a trace addition（0.5 or 1.0 wt.%） of rare earth（RE） element La were prepared by mechanical alloying.The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of the addition of La on the microstructures,alloying process and melting properties of（Ag-Cu28）-30Sn alloys.The results show that the addition of La produces no new phase.A trace amount of La addition can effectively refine the grain size,but the excessive addition of 1.0 wt.% La inhibits the alloying process.The influence of La on the melting temperatures of solder alloys is negligible.However,the trace addition of 0.5 wt.% La can distinctly reduce the fusion zone and improve the melting property of（Ag-Cu28）-30Sn alloys.

EFFECT OF MELT OVER-HEATING AND ZIRCONIUM ALLOYING ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF Al_9FeNi PHASE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF 2618 ALLOY

The effect of melt over-heating on the morphology of Al_9FeNi phase in 2618aluminum alloy with high contents of Fe and Ni and 0.22 wt. percent zirconium has been investigatedby optical microscopy. SEM and TEM. The mechanical properties of 2618 aluminum alloy after hotextrusion and quenching/aging have been tested. The results show: melt over-heating treatment of2618 alloy with high contents of Fe and Ni at 960 deg C led to finer and better-distributedneedle-like Al_9FeNi phase in cast microstructure and fine Al_9FeNi particles after hot extrusion;the grain size of the alloy after hot extrusion could also be refined evidently by alloying ofzirconium; the ambient and high temperature tensile strength and elongation of 2618 alloy have beenapparently enhanced due to fine Al_9FeNi particles and dispersed Al_3Zr as well as fine grain size.

Electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of La_(0.75-x) M_xMg_(0.25)Ni_(3.2)Co_(0.2)Al_(0.1)(M=Zr,Pr;x=0,0.1) alloys prepared by melt spinning

In order to ameliorate the electrochemical hydrogen storage performances of La-Mg–Ni system A_2B_7-type electrode alloys, the partial substitution of M (M = Zr, Pr) for La was performed. The melt spinning technology was used to fabricate the La_(0.75-x)M_xMg_0.25Ni_3.2Co_0.2Al_0.1 (M = Zr, Pr; x = 0, 0.1) electrode alloys. The influences of the melt spinning and substituting La with M (M = Zr, Pr) on the structures and the electrochemical hydrogen storage characteristics of the alloys were investigated. The analysis of XRD, SEM, and TEM reveals that the as-cast and spun alloys have a multiphase structure composed of two main phases (La, Mg)_2Ni_7 and LaNi_5 as well as a residual phase LaNi_2 . The as-spun (M = Pr) alloy displays an entire nanocrystalline structure, while an amorphous-like structure is detected in the as-spun (M = Zr) alloy, implying that the substitution of Zr for La facilitates the amorphous formation. The electrochemical measurements exhibit that the substitution of Pr for La clearly increases the discharge capacity of the alloys; however, the Zr substitution brings on an adverse impact. Meanwhile, the M (M = Zr, Pr) substitution significantly enhances its cycle stability. The melt spinning exerts an evident effect on the electrochemical performances of the alloys, whose discharge capacity and high rate discharge ability (HRD) first mount up and then fall with the growing spinning rate, whereas their cycle stabilities monotonously augment as the spinning rate increases.

Metal-ceramic Bond Mechanism of the Co-Cr Alloy Denture with Original Rough Surface Produced by Selective Laser Melting

The porcelain fracture caused by low metal-ceramic bond strength is a critical issue in porcelain fused to metal（PFM） restorations. Surface roughening methods, such as sand blasting, acid etching and alkaline degreasing for the metal matrix are used to increase bond strength. However, the metal matrix of PFM processed by selective laser melting（SLM） has natural rough surface. To explore the effect of the original roughness on metal-ceramic bond strength, two groups of specimen are fabricated by SLM. One group of specimen surface is polished smooth while another group remains the original rough surface. The dental porcelain is fused to the specimens＇ surfaces according to the ISO 9693：1999 standard. To gain the bond strength, a three-point bending test is carried out and X ray energy spectrum analysis（EDS）, scanning electron microscope（SEM） are used to show fracture mode. The results show that the mean bond strength is 116.5 16 MPa of the group with rough surface（Ra= 17.2）, and the fracture mode is cohesive. However, when the surface is smooth （Ra =3.8）, the mean bond strength is 74.5 MPa _＋ 5 MPa and the fracture mode is mixed. The original surface with prominent structures formed by the partly melted powder particles, not only increases surface roughness but also significantly improves the bond strength by forming strong mechanical lock effect. Statistical analysis （Student＇s t-test） demonstrates a significant difference （p〈0.05） of the mean value of bond strength between the two groups. The experiments indicate the natural rough surface can enhance the metal-ceramic bond strength to over four times the minimum value （25 MPa） of the ISO 9693：1999 standard. It is found that the natural rough surface of SLM-made PFM can eliminate the porcelain collapse defect produced by traditional casting method in PFM restorations.

Effects of compressing and remelting in SIMA processing on semi-solid structure evolution of an Al-Zn wrought alloy

Structure evolution of an Al-Zn wrought alloy in remelting processing in thestrain induced melt activated (SIMA) serai-solid procedure was observed, and effects of factors, theremelting temperature, the holding time, and the compression strain, on structures and grain sizesof the alloy were investigated. The results show that (1) the proper temperature of remelting is inthe range of 610 to 615℃; (2) the grain size in specimen with greater compression strain is smallerthan that with smaller compression strain in condition of the same remelting temperature andholding time, and the grain size in local area with great local equivalent strain is smaller thanthat with small one; (3) liquid occurs in form of cluster in matrix during remelting and itsquantity increases with remelting time increasing; liquid in specimen with great compression strainoccurs earlier than that with small one, and quantity of liquid in the center of specimen withgreater local equivalent strain is greater than that in the two ends of it; (4) distortion energyafter deforming in matrix of the alloy is the significant factor to activate melting of matrix atlocal area with great local equivalent strain.

Preparation of Gd-Ni alloy film in urea-NaBr melt

Electroreduction of Ni(Ⅱ) to metallic Ni in urea NaBr melt at 373 K is irreversible in one step. Gd(Ⅲ) is not reduced to Gd alone, but can be inductively codeposited with Ni(Ⅱ). The amorphous Gd Ni alloy films were obtained by potentiostatic electrolysis and galvanostatic electrolysis. With the cathode potential shift to negative direction and the increase of current density, the content of gadolinium in the alloy increases first, and then drops down gradually. The molar ratio of Gd(Ⅲ) to Ni(Ⅱ) and the time also influence the content of Gd. Crystalline GdNi 3 alloy was obtained after heat treatment of the deposit. [

A novel approach to melt purification of magnesium alloys

A novel low-cost method for melt purification of magnesium alloys,the melt self-purifying technology(MSPT),has been developed successfully based on a low temperature melt treatment(LTMT)without adding any fluxes.The iron solubility in the molten liquid of magnesium and its alloys,and the settlement velocity of iron particles were calculated.It is shown that the low temperature melt treatment is an effective method to decrease the impurity Fe content in magnesium and its alloys.Without any additions,the Fe content in the AZ31 alloy was reduced to 15 ppm from the initial 65 ppm,and the Fe content in the AZ61 melt was decreased to 20 ppm from the initial 150 ppm after the low temperature melt treatment.The results also showed that the Fe content in AM60 and AM50 dropped to 15 and 18 ppm,respectively,from the initial 150 ppm after the low temperature melt treatment.For ZK 60,the Fe content in the melt down to less than 5 ppm was achieved.After the low temperature melt treatment,the Si content in the above alloys was also decreased obviously.

High-cycle fatigue crack initiation and propagation in laser melting deposited TC18 titanium alloy

This article examines fatigue crack nucleation and propagation in laser deposited TC18 titanium alloy. The Widmanstatten structure was obtained by double-annealing treatment,. High-cycle fatigue （HCF） tests were conducted at room temperature with the stress ratio of 0.1 and the notch concentration factor Kt = 1. Fatigue cracks initiated preferentially at micropores, which had great effect on the HCF properties. The effect decreased with the decrease of pore size and the increase of distance from the pore location to the specimen surface. The crack initiation region was characterized by the cleavage facets of a lamella and the tearing of β matrix. The soft a precipitated-free zone formed along grain boundaries accelerated the crack propagation. Subsurface observation indicated that the crack preferred to propagate along the grain boundary α or border of a lamella or vertical to a lamella.

CALCULATION MODEL OF SURFACE TENSION FOR ALLOY MELTS

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NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF INDUCTION SKULL MELTING PROCESS FOR TITANIUM-ALUMINIUM BASE ALLOY

The mathematics model for temperature field of water-cooling copper crucible induction skull melting process was established. The program for simulating temperature field of melting process was developed with finite element method. The temperature field of the melting process for Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy was calculated. During melting period, the temperature is raised gradually along radius augmentation direction. The elements of the charge near the crucible wall are molten first. The center elements of the charge are molten last. The melting time of the center element is just that of all the charge melting. The melting time of Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy is 15min. In which, the charge was heated by low power 80kW for 9min and by high power 300kW for 6min. When melting Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy, the loading power is nearly direct proportion to melt temperature. Increasing loading power may raise melt temperature. The best melting power of Ti-47Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy is 305-310kW. This is identical with the melting test and has guidance sense to the melting process of actual titanium alloy.

Dual alloying improves the corrosion resistance of biodegradable Mg alloys prepared by selective laser melting

Mg alloys have been regarded as revolutionary metallic biomaterials for biodegradable bone implants,but their applications are mainly blocked by the too rapid degradation in physiological environment.This study explores the dual alloying effects of Mn and/or Sn on the performance of Mg alloys prepared by selective laser melting.The observed microstructure indicated remarkable refinement of both the grains and intermetallic phases in the Mn-and/or Sn-containing alloys during the rapid solidification process.Moreover,approximately a half decrease in corrosion rate was observed for AZ61-0.4Mn-0.8Sn alloy with respect to AZ61 alloy.The improved corrosion behavior was primarily due to the enhanced protective effects of surface layers,in which Mn-and/or Sn-rich phases acted as a helpful barrier against medium penetration and thereby alleviated the current exchange with the matrix.In addition,the solute Mn and/or Sn positively shifted the corrosion potential,which also brought about a better corrosion resistance.Furthermore,the strength and hardness of the alloys were also effectively improved and comparable to those of cortical bone.This could be ascribed to the dissolved Mn and/or Sn atoms and the finely dispersed intermetallic phases,which might cause lattice distortion and precipitation hardening.Besides,the Mn-and/or Sn-containing alloys showed good cytocompatibility as indicated by the normal morphology and increased viability of MG-63 cells.These findings suggest that the developed AZ61-Mn-Sn alloy is a promising candidate for biodegradable bone implants.

Influence of process parameters and aging treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al Si8Mg3 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Many studies have investigated the selective laser melting(SLM)of AlSi10Mg and AlSi7Mg alloys,but there are still lack of researches focused on Al-Si-Mg alloys specifically tailored for SLM.In this work,a novel high Mg-content AlSi8Mg3 alloy was specifically designed for SLM.The results showed that this new alloy exhibited excellent SLM processability with a lowest porosity of 0.07%.Massive lattice distortion led to a high Vickers hardness in samples fabricated at a high laser power due to the precipitation of Mg_(2)Si nanoparticles from theα-Al matrix induced by high-intensity intrinsic heat treatment during SLM.The maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the alloy reached HV(211±4)and(526±12)MPa,respectively.After aging treatment at 150℃,the maximum microhardness and compressive yield strength of the samples were further improved to HV(221±4)and(577±5)MPa,respectively.These values are higher than those of most known aluminum alloys fabricated by SLM.This paper provides a new idea for optimizing the mechanical properties of Al-Si-Mg alloys fabricated using SLM.

ELECTRODEPOSITION OF Ti-Ni ALLOY IN UREA-NaBr-KBr MELT

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Ingredient Losses during Melting Binary Ni-Ti Shape Memory Alloys

Losses of the alloying elements during vacuum induction melting of the binary NiTi alloys were evaluated by visual observation and chemical analysis of the NiTi melted specimens and the scalp formed on the internal surface of the crucible. The results indicated that the major sources of the losses were （a） evaporation of the metals, （b） formation of the NiTi scalp and （c） the sprinkling drops splashed out of the melt due to the exothermic reactions occurring between Ni and Ti to form the NiTi parent phase. Quantitative evaluations were made for the metallic losses by holding the molten alloy for 0.5, 3, 5, 10 and 15 min at around 100℃ above the melting point inside the crucible.Chemical analysis showed that there existed an optimum holding time of 3 min during which the alloying elements were only dropped to a predictable limit. Microstructure, chemical composition, shape memory and mechanical properties of the cast metal ingots were determined to indicate the appropriate achievements with the specified 3 min optimum holding time.

Surface modification of biomedical Mg-Ca and Mg-Zn-Ca alloys using selective laser melting: Corrosion behaviour, microhardness and biocompatibility

Magnesium alloys such as Mg–Ca and Mg–Zn–Ca are good orthopaedic materials;however their tendency to corrode is high.Herein we utilize selective laser melting(SLM)to modify the surface of these Mg alloys to simultaneously improve the corrosion behaviour and microhardness.The corrosion rate decreased from 2.1±0.2 mm/y to 1.0±0.1 mm/y for the laser-processed Mg–0.6Ca,and from 1.6±0.1 mm/y to 0.7±0.2 mm/y for laser-processed Mg–0.5Zn–0.3Ca.The microhardness increased from 46±1 HV to 56±1 HV for Mg–0.6Ca,and from 47±3 HV to 55±3 HV for Mg–0.5Zn–0.3Ca.In addition,good biocompatibility remained in the laser processed Mg alloys.The improved properties are attributed to laser-induced grain refinement,confined impurity elements,residual stress,and modified surface chemistry.The results demonstrated the potential of SLM as a surface engineering approach for developing advanced biomedical Mg alloys.

Thermodynamics of effect of modification on microstructure of Al-Si alloy melt

Thermodynamic law of interaction between modification element and alloy melt has been analyzed, and the effect of modification element on electrical resistivity of melt has been studied. It was found that, in a certain range of concentration, there exists a ‘node’ where the alloy melt reconstruction will occur. An extreme value appeared in the relationship curve of melt’s resistivity and modification element’s concentration corresponding to the ‘node’, where the solidified structure of the alloy changed remarkably.

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE OF VISCOSITY OF Al-Si ALLOY MELTS

The relationship between the viscosity and temperature of Al-Si alloy melts was investigated. The viscosity of three different types of Al-Si alloy melts was measured. It was showed that the relationship between the viscosity and temperature of hypoeutectic Al-5%Si and eutectic Al- 12.5%Si alloy melts is approximately exponential except for some special zones, but that of the hypereutectic melt is different. The paper discussed the correlation of the viscosity and atomic density, which is thought that the viscosity corresponds to the atomic density to some extent.