Effect of solution treatment on the microstructure,phase transformation behavior and functional properties of NiTiNb ternary shape memory alloys fabricated via laser powder bed fusion in-situ alloying

Post-heat treatment is commonly employed to improve the microstructural homogeneity and enhance the mechanical performances of the additively manufactured metallic materials.In this work,a ternary(NiTi)91Nb9(at.%)shape memory alloy was produced by laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)using pre-alloyed NiTi and elemental Nb powders.The effect of solution treatment on the microstructure,phase transformation behavior and mechanical/functional performances was investigated.The in-situ alloyed(NiTi)91Nb9 alloy exhibits a submicron cellular-dendritic structure surrounding the supersaturated B2-NiTi matrix.Upon high-temperature(1273 K)solution treatment,Nb-rich precipitates were precipitated from the supersaturated matrix.The fragmentation and spheroidization of the NiTi/Nb eutectics occurred during solution treatment,leading to a morphological transition from mesh-like into rod-like and sphere-like.Coarsening of theβ-Nb phases occurred with increasing holding time.The martensite transformation temperature increases after solution treatment,mainly attributed to:(i)reduced lattice distortion due to the Nb expulsion from the supersaturated B2-NiTi,and(ii)the Ti expulsion from theβ-Nb phases that lowers the ratio Ni/Ti in the B2-NiTi matrix,which resulted from the microstructure changes from non-equilibrium to equilibrium state.The thermal hysteresis of the solutionized alloys is around 145 K after 20%pre-deformation,which is comparable to the conventional NiTiNb alloys.A short-term solution treatment(i.e.at 1273 K for 30 min)enhances the ductility and strength of the as-printed specimen,with the increase of fracture stress from(613±19)MPa to(781±20)MPa and the increase of fracture strain from(7.6±0.1)%to(9.5±0.4)%.Both the as-printed and solutionized samples exhibit good tensile shape memory effects with recovery rates>90%.This work suggests that post-process heat treatment is essential to optimize the microstructure and improve the mechanical performances of the L-PBF in-situ alloyed parts.

Cavitation erosion behavior of WC coatings on CrNiMo stainless steel by laser alloying

The WC powder was precoated on the surface of CrNiMo stainless steel and then made into an alloying layer by using the laser alloying technique. Phases in the layers were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD） analysis and surface morphologies after cavitation erosion were observed with the help of scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The cavitation erosion behavior of the CrNiMo stainless steel and WC laser alloying layer in distilled water was tested with the help of ultrasonic vibration cavitation erosion equipment. The results showed that the thickness of the laser alloying layer was about 0.13 mm. The layer had a dense microstructure, metallurgically bonded to the substrate, and no crack had been found. The cavitation erosion mass loss rate of the laser alloying layer was only 2/5 that of the CrNiMo stainless steel. The layer had better cavitation resistance properties because of its metallurgical combination and the strengthening effects of the precipitate phases.

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.

Cooperative effect of surface alloying and laser texturing on tribological performance of lubricated surfaces

The cooperative effect of laser surface texturing(LST) and double glow plasma surface alloying on tribological performance of lubricated sliding contacts was investigated.A Nd:YAG laser was used to generate microdimples on steel surfaces. Dimples with the diameter of 150μm and the depth of 30-35μm distributed circumferentially on the disc surface.The alloying element Cr was sputtered to the laser texturing steel surface by double glow plasma technique.A deep diffusion layer with a thickness of 30μm and a high hardness of HV900 was formed in this alloy.Tribological experiments of three types of samples(smooth,texturing and texturing+alloying) were conducted with a ring-on-disc tribometer to simulate the face seal.It is found that,in comparison with smooth steel surfaces,the laser texturing samples significantly reduce the friction coefficient.Moreover,the lower wear rate of the sample treated with the two surface techniques is observed.

Fe-Zn supersaturated solid solution prepared by mechanical alloying and laser sintering to accelerate degradation

The slow degration of iron limits its bone implant application.The solid solution of Zn in Fe is expected to accelerate the degradation.In this work,mechanical alloying(MA)was used to prepare Fe-Zn powder with supersaturated solid solution.MA significantly decreased the lamellar spacing between particles,thus reducing the diffusion distance of solution atoms.Moreover,it caused a number of crystalline defects,which further promoted the solution diffusion.Subsequently,the MA-processed powder was consolidated into Fe-Zn part by laser sintering,which involved a partial melting/rapid solidification mechanism and retained the original supersaturated solid solution.Results proved that the Fe-Zn alloy became more susceptible with a lowered corrosion potential,and thereby an accelerated corrosion rate of(0.112±0.013)mm/year.Furthermore,it also exhibited favorable cell behavior.This work highlighted the advantage of MA combined with laser sintering for the preparation of Fe-Zn implant with improved degradation performance.

ON THE COMPOSITION UNIFORMITY AND SHAPE COEFFICIENT OF MOLTEN POOL BY LASER ALLOYING

The effect of the laser processing parameters on the composition uniformity and shape coefficient of fusion zone with laser surface alloyed Cr plated on medium carbon low alloy steel has been studied.It was found that the composition uniformity depends on the shape coefficient of fusion zone,and the later is a function of both power density and interaction time.If the power density is fixed to a certain value,the shape coefficient is directly,propor- tional to the interaction time.A completely,uniform molten pool can be obtained,when the shape coefficient is between 1.6 and 3.0.

EVOLUTION OF MICROSTRUCTURE OF LASER SURFACE ALLOYING OF γ TiAi ALLOY WITH NITROGEN

Laser surface alloying of γ TiAl alloy with nitrogen was studied under the constant protective nitrogen current (20l /min). The experimental results shown that the surface multi layers formed with experimental parameters could be up to 600μm depth; it consists of TiN,Ti 2AlN,α 2 and γ phases, without AlN, and the irregular coarse continuous “flow” line,dendrite,needle and granular nitrides disperse on the fine dendrite casting α 2 and γ phases substrate. The microstructure and compositions in the nitiding layer were determined and analyzed by SEM and EPMA and the mechanism for the formation of microstructure in the nitriding layer was also discussed.

Fabrication of wear-resistant layers with lamellar eutectic structure by laser surface alloying using the in situ reaction between Cr and B_4C

To improve the wear resistance of Cr5 steel, wear-resistant layers with lamellar eutectic microstructure were fabricated by laser surface alloying（LSA）, which is dependent on the in situ reaction between Cr and B_4C. Our results indicated that the hypoeutectic structures of the LSA layers were divided into interdendritic eutectic structures and dendrites. The area fraction of the eutectic structures increased with increasing laser scanning speed, which improved the hardness and wear resistance of the LSA layers. The average hardness of the LSA layer prepared at a scanning speed of 8 mm/s was HV_（0.2） 883.9, which was 1.8 times greater than that of the traditional quenched layer（approximately HV 480）. After sliding for 659.4 m, the specimen prepared at a scanning speed of 8 mm/s exhibited a volume loss of 0.0323 mm^3, which was only 29.5% of the volume loss of the traditional quenched specimen.

Microstructure and Properties of Laser Surface Alloying 304 Stainless Steel with Si

Silicon was added to the surface of 304 stain- less steel by laser melting the sprayed preplaced Si powders.The optical microscopy,X-ray diffraction and EPMA were employed to investigate the microstructure and chemical composition of the laser surface alloyed layer.The hardness of the al- loyed layer was measured by microhardness test and wear resistance was evaluated by scratch test. Corrosion resistance of laser alloyed sample was studied in 1N H_2SO_4+0.1N NaCl and 0.5N HCl+0.5N NaCl aqueous solutions.A microcrystalline intermetallic compound coating with smooth surface and good chemical homogeneity without porosity and crack is ob- tained.The hardness is about 720 HV.The wear re- sistance is 2 times better than that of the substrate. The corrosion resistance of the laser alloyed sample is much better than that of 304 stainless steel sample.

Optimizing Domain Distribution of Grain Oriented Silicon Steel by Using Antimony as the Laser Surface Alloying Element

For reducing the core loss of grain oriented silicon steel and improving its aging property, a new method, the LLSA by using Sb as the laser surface alloying element, was investigated, and at proper technique conditions rather good result was obtained.

LASER ALLOYING ON CHROMIUM-COATED SURFACE OF NODULAR CAST IRON

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INFLUENCE OF DISPERSIVE Y_2O_3 PARTICLES ALLOYING BY LASER IRRADIATION ON OXIDATION BEHAVIOUR OF AN SUPERALLOY

The homogeneous dispersive Y2O3 particles were melt-doped on the surface of a superalloy by laser alloying and the effect of Y2O3 on the oxidation resistance of the alloy were investigated. The results showed that compact α-Al2O3 oxide scales formed continuously on the alloy surface and the internal oxidation was eliminated and oxidation rate decreased. Therefore, the oxidation resistanee of the alloy was improved.

Laser surface alloying fabricated porous coating on NiTi shape memory alloy

Laser surface alloying technique was applied to fabricate a metallic porous coating on a solid NiTi shape memory alloy. By laser surface alloying a 40%TiH2-60%NiTi powder mixture on the surface of NiTi alloy using optimized laser process parameters, a porous but crack-free NiTi layer can be fabricated on the NiTi substrate. The porous coating is metallurgically bonded to the substrate NiTi alloy. The pores are uniformly distributed and are interconnected with each other in the coating. An average pore size of less than 10 μm is achieved. The Ni content of the porous layer is much less than that of the original NiTi surface. The existence of the porous coating on the NiTi alloy causes a 37% reduction of the tensile strength and 55% reduction of the strain as compared with the NiTi alloy. Possible biomedical or other applications for this porous surface with good mechanical strength provided by the substrate are prospective.

Effect of Different Laser Energy Nitriding on the Fretting Wear Performance of Zr Alloy

The zirconium(Zr)alloy fuel cladding is one of the key structural components of a nuclear reactor and the first and most important line of defense for accommodating fission products.During the operation of nuclear reactors,Zr alloy fuel cladding is subjected to extreme harsh environments,such as high temperature,high pressure and high flow rate for a long period of time.The wear and corrosion resistance of Zr alloys is important for the safe operation of nuclear reactors.Surface modification can effectively improve the corrosion and wear resistance of fuel cladding.Compared with coating technology,nitriding technology does not have problems for bonding between the coating and the substrate.Current research on surface nitriding of Zr alloys mainly focuses on plasma nitriding and ion implantation techniques.Research on laser nitriding of Zr alloy surfaces and their fretting wear characteristics is scarce.In this study,the surface of Zr alloy was treated with laser nitriding at different laser energies.The microstructure of Zr alloy treated with different laser energies and its fretting wear performance were studied.The results showed that after nitriding with different laser energies,the surface of the Zr alloy showed a typical molten state after melting,vaporizing and cooling under the thermal effect of the laser,and this state was more obvious with the increase of the laser energy.At the same time,doping of N atoms and formation of the ZrN phase led to different cooling rates in the molten zone that produced large tensile stresses after cooling.This led to cracks on the surface of Zr alloys after laser nitriding at different energies,and the crack density increased with increasing laser energy.This also led to an increase in the surface roughness of the Zr alloy with increasing laser energy after laser nitriding treatment.Due to the presence of water in the industrial nitrogen,nitrides were generated on the surface of the sample along with some oxides.When the laser energy was 100 mJ,there was no ZrN generation,and N existed mainly as a diffusion layer within the Zr alloy substrate.ZrN generated when the laser energy reached 200 mJ and above,which increased with the increase of laser energy.Due to the generation of ZrN phase and the presence of some oxides,the surface Vickers hardness of Zr alloys after laser nitriding treatment at different energies increased by 37.5%compared to Zr alloys.After laser nitriding treatment,the wear mechanism of Zr alloys changed.For the untreated Zr alloys,the wear mechanism was dominated by delamination and spalling wear,accompanied by oxidative and abrasive wear.The phenomenon of delamination and peeling decreased with the increase of laser energy.Wear mechanisms changed to predominantly abrasive wear with oxidative wear and delamination spalling.The wear volume of sample nitriding with laser energy 400 mJ was reduced by 46.5%compared with that of untreated Zr alloy.

Enhancement of mechanical and tribological performance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy by laser surface alloying with Inconel 625 and SiC precursor materials

This study focused on producing metal matrix composite(MMC)coatings on Ti–6Al–4V alloy through laser surface alloying using a novel combination of Inconel 625 and SiC precursor materials.Various ratios of alloying powders were examined to evaluate surface properties such as microhardness,wear resistance,and friction coefficient,along with analyzing the phase composition and microstructure of the coatings.The in situ synthesized MMC coatings exhibited the presence ofα-Ti,NiTi,NiTi_(2),and TiC phases.Additionally,Ti_(5)Si_(3)andα-Ti/Ti_(5)Si_(3)eutectic structures were observed when the SiC content exceeded 20%.In comparison to the titanium substrate,the MMC coating significantly enhanced microhardness by over threefold and reduced wear by 95%.However,it was crucial to carefully select the appropriate combination of alloying powders to avoid a substantial decrease in friction performance and excessive formation of cracks.Through a comparative analysis of experimental results,the optimal precursor material composition was identified as 85%Inconel 625 and 15%SiC.This study demonstrated the effective utilization of Inconel 625 and SiC alloying materials to enhance the surface properties of titanium alloys,thereby expanding their application in challenging environments.

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.

Influence of layer thickness on formation quality,microstructure,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance of WE43 magnesium alloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

Laser powder bed fusion(L-PBF)of Mg alloys has provided tremendous opportunities for customized production of aeronautical and medical parts.Layer thickness(LT)is of great significance to the L-PBF process but has not been studied for Mg alloys.In this study,WE43 Mg alloy bulk cubes,porous scaffolds,and thin walls with layer thicknesses of 10,20,30,and 40μm were fabricated.The required laser energy input increased with increasing layer thickness and was different for the bulk cubes and porous scaffolds.Porosity tended to occur at the connection joints in porous scaffolds for LT40 and could be eliminated by reducing the laser energy input.For thin wall parts,a large overhang angle or a small wall thickness resulted in porosity when a large layer thicknesses was used,and the porosity disappeared by reducing the layer thickness or laser energy input.A deeper keyhole penetration was found in all occasions with porosity,explaining the influence of layer thickness,geometrical structure,and laser energy input on the porosity.All the samples achieved a high fusion quality with a relative density of over 99.5%using the optimized laser energy input.The increased layer thickness resulted to more precipitation phases,finer grain sizes and decreased grain texture.With the similar high fusion quality,the tensile strength and elongation of bulk samples were significantly improved from 257 MPa and 1.41%with the 10μm layer to 287 MPa and 15.12%with the 40μm layer,in accordance with the microstructural change.The effect of layer thickness on the compressive properties of porous scaffolds was limited.However,the corrosion rate of bulk samples accelerated with increasing the layer thickness,mainly attributed to the increased number of precipitation phases.

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.

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.