Alloy design for laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing:a critical review

Metal additive manufacturing(AM)has been extensively studied in recent decades.Despite the significant progress achieved in manufacturing complex shapes and structures,challenges such as severe cracking when using existing alloys for laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)AM have persisted.These challenges arise because commercial alloys are primarily designed for conventional casting or forging processes,overlooking the fast cooling rates,steep temperature gradients and multiple thermal cycles of L-PBF.To address this,there is an urgent need to develop novel alloys specifically tailored for L-PBF technologies.This review provides a comprehensive summary of the strategies employed in alloy design for L-PBF.It aims to guide future research on designing novel alloys dedicated to L-PBF instead of adapting existing alloys.The review begins by discussing the features of the L-PBF processes,focusing on rapid solidification and intrinsic heat treatment.Next,the printability of the four main existing alloys(Fe-,Ni-,Al-and Ti-based alloys)is critically assessed,with a comparison of their conventional weldability.It was found that the weldability criteria are not always applicable in estimating printability.Furthermore,the review presents recent advances in alloy development and associated strategies,categorizing them into crack mitigation-oriented,microstructure manipulation-oriented and machine learning-assisted approaches.Lastly,an outlook and suggestions are given to highlight the issues that need to be addressed in future work.

Accelerated design of high-performance Mg-Mn-based magnesium alloys based on novel bayesian optimization

Magnesium(Mg),being the lightest structural metal,holds immense potential for widespread applications in various fields.The development of high-performance and cost-effective Mg alloys is crucial to further advancing their commercial utilization.With the rapid advancement of machine learning(ML)technology in recent years,the“data-driven''approach for alloy design has provided new perspectives and opportunities for enhancing the performance of Mg alloys.This paper introduces a novel regression-based Bayesian optimization active learning model(RBOALM)for the development of high-performance Mg-Mn-based wrought alloys.RBOALM employs active learning to automatically explore optimal alloy compositions and process parameters within predefined ranges,facilitating the discovery of superior alloy combinations.This model further integrates pre-established regression models as surrogate functions in Bayesian optimization,significantly enhancing the precision of the design process.Leveraging RBOALM,several new high-performance alloys have been successfully designed and prepared.Notably,after mechanical property testing of the designed alloys,the Mg-2.1Zn-2.0Mn-0.5Sn-0.1Ca alloy demonstrates exceptional mechanical properties,including an ultimate tensile strength of 406 MPa,a yield strength of 287 MPa,and a 23%fracture elongation.Furthermore,the Mg-2.7Mn-0.5Al-0.1Ca alloy exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of 211 MPa,coupled with a remarkable 41%fracture elongation.

Machine learning design of 400 MPa grade biodegradable Zn-Mn based alloys with appropriate corrosion rates

The commonly used trial-and-error method of biodegradable Zn alloys is costly and blindness.In this study,based on the self-built database of biodegradable Zn alloys,two machine learning models are established by the first time to predict the ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and immersion corrosion rate(CR)of biodegradable Zn alloys.A real-time visualization interface has been established to design Zn-Mn based alloys;a representative alloy is Zn-0.4Mn-0.4Li-0.05Mg.Through tensile mechanical properties and immersion corrosion rate tests,its UTS reaches 420 MPa,and the prediction error is only 0.95%.CR is 73μm/a and the prediction error is 5.5%,which elevates 50 MPa grade of UTS and owns appropriate corrosion rate.Finally,influences of the selected features on UTS and CR are discussed in detail.The combined application of UTS and CR model provides a new strategy for synergistically regulating comprehens-ive properties of biodegradable Zn alloys.

Alloying Design for High Wear-Resistant Cast Hot-Forging Die Steels

The alloying design of cast hot-forging die steels was analyzed. The relationship of the life of cast hot-forging dies with the failure patterns was studied. The thermal wear resistance was believed to be the key property for the alloying design of cast hot-forging die steels. The alloying design parameters were selected and optimized for the cast hot-forging die steel with high wear resistance. The wear resistance of the optimized cast die steel was evaluated in comparison with commercial H13 steels and 3Cr2WSV steel. In the new cast hot-forging die steel, VC is predominant carbide with Cr and Mo as the main solution elements in α-Fe. It is found that the cast die steel has significantly lower wear rate than normal H13 steel and 3Cr2W8V steel, almost the same as that of high purity H13 steel. The high wear resistance of the new cast hot-forging die steel can be attributed to its reasonable alloying design and nonsensibility to the detrimental function of S and P.

Research on Alloying Design and Process Control for X100 Hot-Rolled Strips

The influence of alloying design,controlled rolling technology and cooling system of X100 hot-rolled strips on microstructure and micro-hardness has been discussed in detail in this paper.The results show that optimal chemical composition range of X100 hot-rolled strips is obtained on the basis of X80 by increasing contents of C,Mn,Ni and Mo of X80.The granular bainite microstructure could be refined and the volume fraction and size of M-A islands could be controlled in a reasonable range by reasonably regulating cooling rate and coiling temperature of X100 pipeline steel,which ensure high strength and toughness of X100 pipeline steel.

Rational design, synthesis and prospect of biodegradable magnesium alloy vascular stents

Biodegradable magnesium(Mg) alloys are expected to be promising materials for cardiovascular stents(CVS), which can avoid the longterm clinical problems of current CVS, such as in-stent restenosis, late stent thrombosis, etc. Mg alloy stents exhibit superior biocompatibility and tunable biodegradability, compared with conventional permanent metallic stents. However, the poor formability and non-uniform corrosion of Mg alloy stents hinder their clinical application of CVS. This review focuses on the development of Mg alloys for CVS in recent years.According to the results of bibliometric analysis, we analyzed different biodegradable Mg alloy systems. Moreover, the structural design strategies for Mg alloy stents that can reduce the stress concentration, as well as the surface modification methods to control the corrosion behavior and biological performance of Mg alloy stents are also highlighted. At last, this review systematically discussed the potential directions and challenges of biodegradable magnesium stents(BMgS) in cardiovascular fields.

A machine learning approach for accelerated design of magnesium alloys. Part A:Alloy data and property space

Typically, magnesium alloys have been designed using a so-called hill-climbing approach, with rather incremental advances over the past century. Iterative and incremental alloy design is slow and expensive, but more importantly it does not harness all the data that exists in the field. In this work, a new approach is proposed that utilises data science and provides a detailed understanding of the data that exists in the field of Mg-alloy design to date. In this approach, first a consolidated alloy database that incorporates 916 datapoints was developed from the literature and experimental work. To analyse the characteristics of the database, alloying and thermomechanical processing effects on mechanical properties were explored via composition-process-property matrices. An unsupervised machine learning(ML) method of clustering was also implemented, using unlabelled data, with the aim of revealing potentially useful information for an alloy representation space of low dimensionality. In addition, the alloy database was correlated to thermodynamically stable secondary phases to further understand the relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties. This work not only introduces an invaluable open-source database, but it also provides, for the first-time data, insights that enable future accelerated digital Mg-alloy design.

A machine learning approach for accelerated design of magnesium alloys.Part B: Regression and property prediction

Machine learning(ML) models provide great opportunities to accelerate novel material development, offering a virtual alternative to laborious and resource-intensive empirical methods. In this work, the second of a two-part study, an ML approach is presented that offers accelerated digital design of Mg alloys. A systematic evaluation of four ML regression algorithms was explored to rationalise the complex relationships in Mg-alloy data and to capture the composition-processing-property patterns. Cross-validation and hold-out set validation techniques were utilised for unbiased estimation of model performance. Using atomic and thermodynamic properties of the alloys, feature augmentation was examined to define the most descriptive representation spaces for the alloy data. Additionally, a graphical user interface(GUI) webtool was developed to facilitate the use of the proposed models in predicting the mechanical properties of new Mg alloys. The results demonstrate that random forest regression model and neural network are robust models for predicting the ultimate tensile strength and ductility of Mg alloys, with accuracies of ~80% and 70% respectively. The developed models in this work are a step towards high-throughput screening of novel candidates for target mechanical properties and provide ML-guided alloy design.

Design of new biomedical titanium alloy based on d-electron alloy design theory and JMatPro software

A new kind offl biomedical titanium alloy, Ti-35Nb-4Sn-6Mo-9Zr, composed of non-toxic elements Nb, Mo, Zr and Sn with lower elastic modulus and higher strength was designed based on d-electron alloy design theory and JMatPro software using orthogonal experiment. The microstructure and basic mechanical properties of designed alloy were investigated. The results show that the alloy is composed of single fl equiaxed grains after solution treatment at 800 ~C. Compared with Ti-6A1-4V, the mechanical properties of the designed alloy are more excellent： E=65 GPa, σb=834 MPa, σ0.2=802 MPa, and σ=11%, which is expected to become a promising new type implanted material. The research approach adopted can reduce the experimental time and cost effectively, and get the ideal experimental results.

Relationship between the unique microstructures and behaviors of high-entropy alloys

High-entropy alloys(HEAs),which were introduced as a pioneering concept in 2004,have captured the keen interest of nu-merous researchers.Entropy,in this context,can be perceived as representing disorder and randomness.By contrast,elemental composi-tions within alloy systems occupy specific structural sites in space,a concept referred to as structure.In accordance with Shannon entropy,structure is analogous to information.Generally,the arrangement of atoms within a material,termed its structure,plays a pivotal role in dictating its properties.In addition to expanding the array of options for alloy composites,HEAs afford ample opportunities for diverse structural designs.The profound influence of distinct structural features on the exceptional behaviors of alloys is underscored by numer-ous examples.These features include remarkably high fracture strength with excellent ductility,antiballistic capability,exceptional radi-ation resistance,and corrosion resistance.In this paper,we delve into various unique material structures and properties while elucidating the intricate relationship between structure and performance.

Holographic alloy positioning design system and holographic network phase diagrams of Au-Cu system

Taking Au?Cu system as an example, three discoveries and two methods were presented. First, a new way for boosting sustainable progress of systematic metal materials science (SMMS) and alloy gene engineering (AGE) is to establish holographic alloy positioning design (HAPD) system, of which the base consists of measurement and calculation center, SMMS center, AGE center, HAPD information center and HAPD cybernation center; Second, the resonance activating-sychro alternating mechanism of atom movement may be divided into the located and oriented diffuse modes; Third, the equilibrium and subequilibrium holographic network phase diagrams are blueprints and operable platform for researchers to discover, design, manufacture and deploy advanced alloys, which are obtained respectively by the equilibrium lever numerical method and cross point numerical method of isothermal Gibbs energy curves. As clicking each network point, the holographic information of three structure levels for the designed alloy may be readily obtained: the phase constitution and fraction, phase arranging structure and properties of organization; the composition, alloy gene arranging structure and properties of each phase and the electronic structures and properties of alloy genes. It will create a new era for network designing advanced alloys.

Recent advances in micro-alloyed wrought magnesium alloys:Theory and design

Micro-alloying design of wrought magnesium(Mg) alloys is an important strategy to achieve high mechanical properties at a low cost. In the last two decades, significant progress has been made from both theory and experiment. In the present review, we try to summarize recent advances in micro-alloying design of wrought Mg alloys from both theoretical and pragmatic perspectives, and provide fundamental data required for establishing the relationship between chemical composition and mechanical properties of Mg alloys. We start with theoretical attempts for understanding the mechanical properties of Mg alloys at different scales, by involving first principle calculations,molecular dynamics, cellular automata, and crystal plasticity. Then, the role of alloying elements is discussed for a series of promising Mg alloys such as Mg-Al, Mg-Zn, Mg-RE(rare-earth element), Mg-Sn, and Mg-Ca families.Potential challenges in the micro-alloying design of Mg alloys are highlighted at the end. The review is expected to provide helpful guidance for the intelligent design of novel wrought Mg alloys and inspire more innovative ideas in this field.

Design of a low-alloy high-strength and high-toughness martensitic steel

To develop a high strength low alloy （HSLA） steel with high strength and high toughness, a series of martensitic steels were studied through alloying with various elements and thermodynamic simulation. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the designed steel were investigated by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing and Charpy impact test. The results show that cementite exists between 500℃ and 700℃, M7C3 exits below 720℃, and they are much lower than the austenitizing temperature of the designed steel. Furthermore, the Ti（C,N） precipitate exists until 1280℃, which refines the microstructure and increases the strength and toughness. The optimal alloying components are 0.19% C, 1.19% Si, 2.83% Mn, 1.24% Ni, and 0.049% Ti; the tensile strength and the V notch impact toughness of the designed steel are more than 1500 MPa and 100 J, respectively.

α″phase-assisted nucleation to obtain ultrafineαprecipitates for designing high-strength near-βtitanium alloys

The diffusion-multiple method was used to determine the composition of Ti−6Al−4V−xMo−yZr alloy(0.45<x<12,0.5<y<14,wt.%),which can obtain an ultrafine α phase.Results show that Ti−6Al−4V−5Mo−7Zr alloy can obtain an ultrafineαphase by using the α″phase assisted nucleation.The bimodal microstructure obtained with the heat-treatment process can confer the alloy with a good balance between the strength and plasticity.The deformation mechanism is the dislocation slip and the{1101}twinning in the primary α phase.The strengthening mechanism is α/β interface strengthening.The interface of(0001)α/(110)β has a platform−step structure,whereas(1120)α/(111)βinterface is flat with no steps.

Alloying behavior and characterization of(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)M_(10)(M=Al,Hf)high-entropy materials fabricated by mechanical alloying

The alloying behavior and microstructures of the(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)M_(10)(M=Al,Hf)high-entropy alloy(HEA)powders fabricated by mechanical alloying were studied.The CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Al_(10) powders have duplex solid-solution structures.In contrast,nanocrystalline HfNi_(3) anchoring in amorphous structures is found in the(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Hf_(10) powders.The(CoCrFeNiMn)_(90)Al_(10) powders show better ferromagnetic behaviors,mainly explained by the facilitated motion of the magnetic domain induced by the coherent interface between duplex phases.Combined with our previous work,the rules of forming solid-solution and amorphous phase in as-milled HEA powders are preliminarily proposed.It is found that,compared with the as-cast HEA reported previously,the variation range of mixing enthalpy with atomic size difference of the solid-solution formed in as-milled HEA powders is broader.Moreover,the variation ranges between mixing enthalpy and entropy with atomic size difference of the amorphous phase in HEA powder become wider than those of high-entropy bulk metallic glass.

Improved Fatigue and Damage Tolerant Material Design for Aerospace Industry

Various micro-mechanical and micro-structural influences on fatigue crack growth resistance of the material have been investigated over the years. It is widely recognized that resistance to fatigue crack growth can be differentiated into ‘intrinsic＇ and ‘extrinsic＇. The separation of intrinsic and extrinsic crack growth resistance has constituted a major theme of fatigue research in the last 30 years, with the concept of crack closure or crack tip shielding being used to rationalize a wide range of micro-structural and mechanical influences on fatigue crack growth behavior. An accurately quantitative understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic effects on crack growth is essential to directed alloy design for improved fatigue resistance, and/or improved structural service life. This paper presents a compliance-based crack closure measurement method and a multi-mechanism based analytical model for the separation of intrinsic and extrinsic material fatigue resistance, with application in characterizing the fatigue performance of two high strength damage tolerant airframe AI alloys.

STUDY ON COMPOSITION DESIGN OF A SUPERALLOY

A new superalloy without Co, Ta and Hf has been developed. The high temperature creep properties of the alloy approach to that of Mar-M246 superallov and with good antioxidation and anticorrosion abilities.

SELECTING CLUSTER MODEL IN Sn - BASED SOLDER ALLOY DESIGN WITH DV - X_α CALCULATION METHOD

Applying calculation method in alloy design should be an important tendency due to its characters of inexpensive cost, high efficiency and prediction. DOS calculations of AuSn, AsSn and SbSn Sn- based alloys have been investigated by employing DV - Xa method, in which different cluster models were adopted to calculate electron structure.It is proved that some regulations must be taken into ac- count in order to carry out alloy design calculation successfully,which are described in this paper in detail.

Recent research and developments on wrought magnesium alloys

Wrought magnesium alloys attract special interests as lightweight structural material due to their homogeneous microstructure and enhanced mechanical properties compared to as-cast alloys.In this contribution,recent research and developments on wrought magnesium alloys are reviewed from the viewpoint of the alloy design,focusing on Mg-Al,Mg-Zn and Mg-rare earth(RE)systems.The effects of different alloying elements on the microstructure and mechanical properties are described considering their strengthening mechanisms,e.g.grain refinement,precipitation and texture hardening effect.Finally,the new alloy design and also the future research of wrought magnesium alloys to improve their mechanical properties are discussed.

Key R&D activities for development of new types of wrought magnesium alloys in China

Many researchers in China are actively engaged in the development of new types of wrought magnesium alloys with low cost or with high-performances and novel plastic processing technologies.The research activities are funded primarily through four government-supported programs:the Key Technologies R&D Program of China,the National Basic Research Program of China,the National High-tech R&D Program of China,and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.The key R&D activities for the development of new wrought magnesium alloys in China are reviewed,and typical properties of some new alloys are summarized. More attentions are paid to high-strength wrought magnesium alloys and high-plasticity wrought magnesium alloys.Some novel plastic processing technologies,emerging in recent years,which aim to control deformation texture and to improve plasticity and formability especially at room temperature,are also introduced.