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Platform heating is one of the effective strategies used in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to avoid cracking during manufacturing, especially when building relatively large-size components, as it removes significant process-induced residual strains. In this work, we propose a novel and simple method to spare the elaborate post-processing heat treatment typically needed for LPBF Al-Sc alloys without compromising the mechanical properties. We systematically investigated the effects of LPBF platform heating at 200 °C on the residual stress relief, microstructure, and mechanical performance of a high-strength Al-Mn-Sc alloy. The results reveal that LPBF platform heating at 200 °C is sufficient to largely relieve the process-induced residual stresses compared to parts built on an unheated 35 °C platform. Meanwhile, the platform heating triggered the dynamic precipitation of uniformly dispersed (1.5–2 nm) Sc-rich nano-clusters. Their formation in a high number density (1.75 × 1024 m−3) resulted in a ~20% improvement in tensile yield strength (522 MPa) compared to the build on the unheated platform, without sacrificing the ductility (up to 18%). The improved mechanical properties imply that platform heating at 200 °C can strengthen the LPBF-synthesised Sc-containing Al alloys via in situ aging, which is further justified by an in situ measurement study revealing that the developing temperatures in the LPBF part are within the aging temperature range of Al-Sc alloys. Without any post-LPBF treatments, these mechanical properties have proven better than those of most Al-Sc alloys through long-time post-LPBF heat treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel coaxial electron beam wire feeding additive manufacturing technology (CAEBWAM) was proposed in our previous work to refine the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of titanium alloys. In the present work, different post-heat treatments were performed to understand the microstructure evolution and the resultant mechanical properties of CAEBWAMed Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The as-built sample was dominated by equiaxed prior β microstructure, with the first several deposited layers containing columnar prior β grain morphology. The as-built alloy showed a mixed microstructure composed of large α′ martensite and fine α + β lamella. As the annealing temperature was increased, α′ martensite decomposed into α + β phase, while the width of the α lamellae increased, causeing an increase in the ductility and a decrease in the strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is shown that the modest pressures used in hot isostatic pressing alter the equilibrium proportions and thus the properties of phases in Ti–46Al–8Nb. These results are interpreted in terms of the atomic volumes of the phases and of the potential of pressure to modify the properties of alloys. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

There is increasing usage of high strength Beta Ti alloy in aerospace components. However, one of the major challenges is to obtain homogeneous refined microstructures via the thermo-mechanical processing. To overcome this issue, an understanding of the hot deformation conditions effect on the microstructure, prior to and after annealing, is needed. In this work, the effect of strain levels, which is more precise than percentage of reduction, and strain rate under supra-transus deformation temperature on beta annealing are studied using a double cone sample. The Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD) is used to determine the deformed microstructure and texture evolution, as well as the static recrystallized grains evolution using the ex situ annealing approach. This work provides evidence that the mechanisms of dynamic recovery and recrystallization, along with texture evolution, are affected by the deformation conditions, which in turn affected the subsequent static recrystallization during annealing. It will also be shown that high levels of strain do not necessarily lead to an increase in the rate of recrystallization. Finally, the results obtained provided several examples of guidance in designing the TMP processes for obtaining not only a refine microstructure, but a more homogeneous beta microstructure during the beta processing of Beta Ti alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hot deformation behavior of a new Al–Mn–Sc alloy was investigated by hot compression conducted at temperatures from 330 to 490 °C and strain rates from 0.01 to 10 s−1. The hot deformation behavior and microstructure of the alloy were significantly affected by the deformation temperatures and strain rates. The peak flow stress decreased with increasing deformation temperatures and decreasing strain rates. According to the hot deformation behavior, the constitutive equation was established to describe the steady flow stress, and a hot processing map at 0.4 strain was obtained based on the dynamic material model and the Prasad instability standard, which can be used to evaluate the hot workability of the alloy. The developed hot processing diagram showed that the instability was more likely to occur in the higher Zener–Hollomon parameter region, and the optimal processing range was determined as 420–475 °C and 0.01–0.022 s−1, in which a stable flow and a higher power dissipation were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although massive transformation has been increasingly observed in titanium alloys, the decomposition mechanism of the massive transformation product (α m) is still unclear. Here, the β→α m →α+β continuous phase transformation in Ti-6Al-4V alloy during cooling was studied. We found that massive transformation occurs at a moderate cooling rate below 291.5 °C/s, forming irregular featureless α m. The thermodynamically unstable α m is supersaturated with β stabilizers, and it tends to decompose into ultrafine α+β structure during the continuous cooling at ever-lower cooling rates and temperatures. In the initial stage of α m decomposition, misfit dislocations appear as a predecessor and split α m into strips. Accompanied by the elemental redistribution, misfit dislocations are accommodated and replaced by β phase. Both the formation and decomposition of α m follow the typical Burgers orientation relationship. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The β→α transformation is a crucial and fundamental phase transformation in titanium and its alloys. This work investigated the effect of elastic compressive stress (ECS) on the microstructure and mechanical property during cooling from β phase region to α + β phase region in Ti-6Al-4V alloy. Results indicated that ECS in this process results in significant refinement and increased aspect ratios of α lamellae (α L) and α colonies (α C). These changes are attributed to the enhanced phase transformation driving force to promote nucleation of α lamellae. The ECS-cooling induced alloy exhibits higher hardness than the stress-free counterpart, mainly resulting from the refined microstructure. This work provides a potential method to tailor the microstructure and improve the mechanical properties of Ti alloys. [Display omitted] • The phenomena of α L refinement are for the first time identified under elastic stress, and the formation mechanism of such phenomena was elucidated. • The elastic compressive stress influences Gibbs free energy are the main reasons for the refinement and variant selection of α lamellae and α colony in Ti-6Al-4V alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Defects control in SLMed A357 is achieved with optimised processing parameters. • Microstructure homogenisation with Si particle modification is achieved with optimised heat treatment procedures. • Tensile ductility is significantly improved without the presence of large defects. • Fatigue property is substantially improved with defect elimination and Si particle modification. The relationship between defects and mechanical properties, especially fatigue properties, of selective laser melted (SLMed) Al-7Si-0.6Mg alloy built with different processing parameters has been investigated. With relatively high densities, although the tensile strength is not affected, ductility and fatigue properties vitally vary with different defects. Furthermore, an excellent fatigue performance with the run-out stress of 200 MPa has been achieved with optimised processing parameters, which is by far the best fatigue performance in SLMed Al-Si alloys. Microstructure and fractography are characterised by different methods, demonstrating that defects and Si particles are the main controlling factors for the fatigue properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-based and Ni-based superalloys have been widely used in aerospace, with much attention given to additive manufactured Ni-based superalloys. However, the equally important Co-based superalloys have received less attention. In this work, a Co-based Haynes 188 superalloy is fabricated using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). This research shows the impressive mechanical properties of Haynes 188 superalloy before and after heat treatment at both room and high temperatures for the first time. In the as-built specimen, arrayed stacking faults, Lomer–Cottrell locks, dislocations, and M 6 C/M 23 C 6 eutectic carbides are found. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the as-built specimen are 642 MPa, 928 MPa, and 57.3 %, respectively. For the heat-treated specimen, the grain size increases, dislocation density reduces and the eutectic carbides dissolve into the matrix, which reduces the yield strength to 488 MPa. However, annealing twins are found in the heat-treated specimen, and the twin-twin interaction networks further enhance the pile-up of dislocations and work hardening ability during the deformation, which leads to an increase in the ultimate tensile strength and elongation to 1002 MPa and 68.1 %, respectively. This work provides an effective method to improve the mechanical properties of Co-based superalloys by additive manufacturing, which is essential for the development of high-performance superalloys and their manufacturing methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has brought tremendous opportunities for the design and making of metallic components with high geometrical complexity. However, in order to maximize the performance and functionality of a specific part, the additive manufacturing industry currently still faces fundamental issues of material processability and limited mechanical properties. Here, we report a high strength in-process and post-process friendly Al alloy specifically developed for the selective laser melting (SLM) process, one of the most commonly used additive manufacturing techniques. We found that the introduction of Mn and Sc as major strengthening elements significantly improved the processability of the Al alloy and its corresponding mechanical properties due to the rapid solidification nature of the SLM process. The developed alloy demonstrates an exceptional high thermal stability, which enables the utilization of a very simple post heat treatment to relieve the residual stresses generated during the SLM process, maintain a high solid solution strengthening effect from Mn and simultaneously achieve exceptional precipitation strengthening from a high density of nano-sized Al 3 Sc precipitates. We created a new high strength Al alloy with a yield strength of up to 560 MPa and a ductility of about 18% after a simple industrially desirable post heat treatment of 5 h at 300 °C. The highly enhanced alloy properties, good processability and simple post heat treatment of the developed alloy offers tremendous benefits for the fabrication of complex high performance lightweight engineering components made by SLM. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Powder-fed laser-based directed energy deposition of Beta-C was successful. • Due to a high dislocation density, the Beta-C alloy had a fast-ageing response. • Higher strength was achieved compared to conventionally-processed aged Beta-C. • The ageing response was further accelerated by carbon additions. • With added carbon, the alloy was harder, less ductile but strength was unchanged. This work investigates the viability of fabricating Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr (Beta-CTM) using laser-based and powder-fed directed energy deposition. To determine an appropriate ageing strategy, heat treatments were conducted at 440 °C and 480 °C over different periods of time and their effectiveness were determined through hardness testing. After identifying an optimal ageing treatment, tensile properties were investigated on the samples in the as-built and aged conditions. The microstructure, hardness and tensile properties of the as-built sample was found to resemble that of a conventionally-manufactured and solution-treated alloy. However, as compared to conventionally-manufactured Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr subjected to the same ageing temperature, the ageing process was much quicker with the DED-processed alloy because of its high dislocation density. Furthermore, the latter can also achieve much higher strength while also having comparable ductility. To achieve a similar ageing response and tensile behavior, conventionally-manufactured Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr would require cold-working prior to ageing. Carbon additions were also investigated to further accelerate the ageing response and to refine the β grain size. While the ageing response was much quicker and a much harder alloy can be produced, the carbon amount added was insufficient for β grain refinement, which resulted in reduced ductility without a change in strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Al-Mn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy was additively manufactured and subsequently deformed to investigate the effect of high defect densities on the precipitation behavior, work hardening capability and ductility. For this, the LPBF-fabricated alloy was deformed by rotary swaging up to a true strain of 2.5 following a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. Compared to the LPBF condition, swaging results in a refinement of the microstructure by one order of magnitude and an increased hardness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) which is mainly attributed to the finer microstructure of the swaged alloy. By annealing, a higher peak-aging hardness of (209 ± 2) HV0.1 and UTS of (717 ± 2) MPa of the swaged alloy at a lower peak-aging temperature of 300 °C (1 h) was obtained. Significant improvement of uniform elongation by enhanced work hardening capability of the swaged and annealed alloy is obtained for annealing temperatures above 300 °C while strength is only moderately affected. The significant improvement of aging kinetics is discussed alongside a profound microstructural characterization of the heterogeneous grain structure and precipitate distribution. • Work hardening of high strength Al alloys is improved by deformation prior ageing. • Enhanced uniform ductility is obtained. • UTS of (612 ± 9) MPa at a uniform strain of (1.4 ± 0.2) % is found. • Heterogeneous microstructure by additive manufacturing resists cold work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • There is a demand for more highly-printable high-strength aluminium alloys for industrial laser powder bed fusion. • Research efforts are making progress in finding ways to combine high strength with good processability. • A growing number of industrially available alloys can now achieve a yield strength of >400 MPa. Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is one of the major additive manufacturing techniques that industries have adopted to produce complex metal components. The scientific and industrial literature from the past few years reveals that there is a growing demand for the development of high-strength aluminium alloys for LPBF. However, some major challenges remain for high-strength aluminium alloys, especially in relation to printability and the control of defects. Possible strategies that have been identified to achieve high strength with printability include the adaptation of existing high-strength cast and wrought alloys to LPBF, the design of new alloys specifically for LPBF, and the development of aluminium-based composites to achieve unique combinations of properties and processability. Whilst review papers exist for aluminium alloys in general for the related work up to 2019, the purpose of this paper is to review the latest developments related to high-strength aluminium alloys for LPBF up to early 2022, including alloy and process design strategies to achieve high strength without cracking. It aims to provide fresh insights into the current state-of-the-art based on a review of extensive yield strength data for a wide spectrum of aluminium alloys and tempers that have been studied and/or commercialised for LPBF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Complex intermetallic phases in the LPBF Al-Mn-Sc based alloy has been intensively studied by 3DAP. • Three different phases are identified in fine grain region in terms of their distribution and chemistry. • Phases in coarse grain region are revealed to exhibit distinct chemistry and distribution from those in fine grain region. The recently-developed Al-Mn-Sc based alloys specific for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) have shown excellent mechanical performance. However, the complicated intermetallic particles in the microstructure remain to be identified, hindering the deep understanding of their effects on mechanical properties and further property improvement. In this work, a range of phases in a LPBF-built Al-Mn-Sc based alloy have been systematically studied by atom probe tomography. The results clarify characteristic intermetallic phases in two different grain-size regions in the microstructure. In the fine grain (FG) region, three distinct phases have been identified. A Sc-rich phase having an average composition of Al 3.3 (Sc 0.8 Zr 0.2) is observed at both the grain boundary (GB) and grain interior, but they have different morphologies. The Mn-rich phase with an average composition of Al 4.3 (Mn 0.9 Fe 0.1) is only observed along GBs. In addition, Mg-rich oxide has been observed either with a separate distribution or attached to Sc-rich particles. In the coarse grain (CG) region, the GB particles exhibit different size and composition from FG region. The Sc-rich GB particles contain Mg enrichment rather than Zr and the composition is determined to be Al 3.4 (Sc 0.75 Mg 0.25). The Mn-rich GB particles in the CG region, with higher Fe contents, are Al 4.3 (Mn 0.8 Fe 0.2) along the GBs and Al 4.5 (Mn 0.85 Fe 0.15) inside the grains. Many smaller Mg-rich oxides and Sc-rich particles are also observed in the internal grains of the CG region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of complex post-build heat treatment procedures are usually inevitable for selective laser melted (SLMed) Al-Si-Mg alloys, aiming to remove significant process-induced residual strains. In this work, we propose a new method to avoid the post-build heat treatment without compromising the mechanical properties in SLMed Al alloy A357. By heating up the build platform (up to 90 °C) during SLM fabrication or applying post heat treatment after SLM, the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties for Al-7Si-0.6Mg alloy are compared at different conditions. Characterisations using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and hardness tests suggest heating up the build platform is more effective in alleviating residual strain and resulting in uniform precipitates in the Al matrix. Tensile properties imply that SLMed A357 fabricated with a heated substrate possesses improved mechanical properties compared to SLMed A357 build on room temperature platforms and even with post-build heat treatment. Unlabelled Image • Heating build platform during selective laser melting avoids further heat treatment. • The new method results in better mechanical properties than its counterpart. • Residual strain after selective laser melting results in super solid solubility of Si. • Precipitation of Si due to heating build platform relieves residual strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]