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Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques including laser powder bed fusion have been widely used to produce metallic components with microstructures and mechanical properties distinctly different from the conventionally manufactured counterparts. Understanding how AM parameters affect the evolution of microstructure, including texture, of these AM metallic components is critical for appropriate manipulation of their processing and therefore their mechanical properties. Here we conducted a systematic investigation of texture evolution of a face-centred cubic CrMnFeCoNi high-entropy alloy cuboid fabricated using laser powder bed fusion. Our results showed that the texture evolutions along the build direction were different between the corner and central parts of the sample. Detailed analysis suggested that the texture evolution is closely related to local thermal gradient, which is a property that can be manipulated through changing AM parameters. The different textures lead to the significant variations of mechanical properties within the sample.

In the present study, selective laser melting (SLM) was used to successfully fabricate Inconel 718–tungsten carbide (WC) composites. The processing parameter optimization results reveal that nearly non-porous composites (99.54%) were achieved with the laser power of 220 W, scanning speed of 850 mm s−1, and the hatch spacing of 150 μm. The microstructural characterization unveils that elongated grain structure in the heat flow direction was observed in the case of pure IN718 while WC particles served as obstacles to hinder the grain growth in the composites. The formation of in situ intermediate layer and the strong interfacial bonding between WC super-hard particles and the matrix acted as load bearing and significantly contribute to the overall properties of composites. Mechanical tests indicate significant improvements of microhardness and tensile strengths, although a drop in strength was observed when the amount of WC reached 15 wt.%. In addition, the thermal experiment shows that the composites are dimensionally stable at higher temperature compared to their monolithic counterpart. The findings suggest that the developed IN718-WC composites can be utilized in many critical engineering applications in nuclear sector.

Achieving good mechanical properties as well as the dimensional accuracy and the smooth surface quality of selective laser melting printed parts with minimal post treatments are essential in additive manufacturing. In the present study, Inconel 718 samples with different powder layer thickness (20, 30, 40 and 50 μm) were additively fabricated using 3D Systems ProX-300 machine. The results reveal that the lower the layer thickness, the denser and good dimensional accuracy were achieved. Marginally higher mechanical properties and microhardness were also obtained at the lower thickness while the failure strain was still high. This can be explained through significant change in the microstructure due to different cooling rate and thermal cycles. In addition, the formation of ɤ′ and ɤ″ intermetallic phases, which were well distributed in the matrix and grain boundaries, during heating/cooling, gave rise in the strengths. Fractography shows the plastic deformation band due to work hardening and the crack initiation sites at sub-micro/micro pores, lack of fusion areas and the boundary of unmelted particles. The study would guide engineers balance their options between the production rate and the building parts’ quality.

The emergence of high entropy alloys (HEAs) has drawn extensive attention due to their special alloy design concept and excellent properties. To pave the way for their engineering applications, a prototype CoCrFeNi HEA was processed through laser welding. Sound welds without cracking, pores, lack of penetration, or precipitates were obtained. The microstructure and the deformation behavior of the weld were investigated. The fusion zone (FZ) of the weld exhibits coarse columnar grains and a relatively higher hardness than that of the base metal (BM) due to the residual stress. Although the anisotropic columnar grains in the FZ lead to the loss of ductility, the weld shows a high joint efficiency and a comparable ductility relative to the BM. The deformation during tension is facilitated by both the mechanical twins and dislocation motion. The mechanical twins play a more significant role in the FZ while the dislocation motion dominates the deformation in the BM.

In the present study, 0.05 wt.% of Ni -coated multi-walled carbon nanotubes ( Ni -CNTs) were successfully incorporated into the 95.8Sn–3.5Ag–0.7Cu solder using the powder metallurgy technique, to synthesize a new lead-free composite solder. Its mechanical property (in terms of hardness) was investigated at room temperature using the nanoindentation method. The results revealed that the nanoindentation hardness increased by 14.3% with the incorporation of 0.05 wt.% of Ni -coated CNTs. This observation is in good agreement with the microhardness test results. Moreover, the addition of Ni -CNTs improved the creep resistance of the composite solder. The test results established that nanotechnology coupled with composite technology in electronics solders can result in the enhancement of mechanical properties. These advanced interconnect materials will thus benefit the microelectronics assembly and packaging industry.

In the present study, the influence of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on the creep performance of 95·8Sn–3·5Ag–0·7Cu lead free solder is investigated. Composite solders containing varying weight percentages of CNTs were synthesised. Solder joints were fabricated and subjected to a series of tests under testing temperatures ranging from 25 to 125°C and applied stresses ranging from 4 to 18 MPa. Creep results revealed that solders containing CNTs exhibited significantly improved creep resistance and also creep time to failure increased. Stress exponents of composite solders were higher than that of monolithic solder. In general, stress exponent was found to increase with increasing applied stress and with decreasing testing temperature. The range of activation energies of composite solder with 0·01 wt-%CNT addition was found to be comparable to that of monolithic Sn–Ag–Cu. However, as the amount of CNT increased to 0·04 wt-%, the range of activation energies increased accordingly.

In this study, Sn - Ag - Cu based nanocomposites with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as reinforcements were successfully synthesized via the powder metallurgy technique. Lead-free solder powders were firstly blended together with varying weight percentages of CNTs. The materials were then compacted, sintered and finally extruded at room temperature. The extruded materials were characterized for their microstructural, thermal and mechanical properties. The porosity of the nanocomposites was observed to increase with increasing weight percentages of CNTs, accordingly the density of the nanocomposites was reduced. Thermomechanical analysis of the solder nanocomposites showed that the use of CNTs as reinforcements decreased the average coefficient of thermal expansion of the solder matrix. Furthermore, the results of mechanical properties characterization revealed that the addition of CNTs aids in enhancing the microhardness and the overall strength of the nanocomposite solder. An attempt is made in the present study to correlate the variation in weight percentages of the carbon nanotubes with the properties of the resultant nanocomposite materials.

In the present study, three aluminium based functionally gradient materials (FGMs), reinforced with different ceramic particulates (silicon carbide, aluminium oxide, and titanium carbide), were successfully synthesised using the innovative gradient slurry disintegration and deposition (GSDD) technique. The results for Al/SiC and Al/Al2O3 revealed, in common, an increase in the weight percentage of reinforcement along the direction of deposition, to result in an increase in porosity and microhardness. However, for Al/TiC, the reverse trend was observed, with porosity and microhardness decreasing with increasing distance from the base of the ingot. The porosity levels for Al/TiC were also found to be significantly lower than those ofthe other two FGMs. Thermomechanical analysis of the FGMs showed thatthe average coefficient of thermal expansion of the high reinforcement end was reduced, as compared to the high aluminium end. Sliding wear test results also revealed that the high reinforcement end wa...

In the present study, Al/SiC based functionally gradient materials (FGMs) were successfully synthesised using the gradient slurry disintegration and deposition technique. Gradients of SiC for the starting weight of 18% were successfully established by varying the stirring speed of the molten melt. The results revealed, in general, increases in the weight percentage and clustering tendency of SiC, porosity, and microhardness and a reduction in grain size, with increasing distance from the base of the FGM ingots. The results also showed that an increase in the stirring speed increases the homogeneity of SiC particulates distribution, thus resulting in a decrease in the gradient of reinforcement along the deposition direction. Furthermore, an increase in the stirring speed decreases the number of clusters formed per unit area. An attempt has been made in the present work to establish the trend between processing parameters, such as stirring speed and the gradient of SiC particulates realised in the i...

Thermocompression bonding is one of the key ways to form interconnections in many hetegrogeneous devices. The quality of metallic joints formed using thermocompression is predominantly determined by the bonding temperature and pressure. In order to achieve a strong and reliable joint, metallic joints in particular copper, which has an oxidative nature, require a high bonding temperature (> 300 °C). However, thermomechanical-related stresses induced during bonding can compromise the performance of the interconnections in the long term. Thus, one way to manage this is to lower the bonding temperature used in forming the interconnections. In this study, copper-copper bonding is successfully demonstrated at a bonding temperature of 80 °C. In order to better understand the effect of bonding pressure on the joint’s performance, the mechanical properties of the individual bulk copper bumps are evaluated using the nanoindentation system. Studies are conducted on the bulk copper bumps subjected to different bonding pressures. Their corresponding yield strength and hardness results are then determined. It is observed that as the applied bonding pressure increases, the mechanical properties of the bulk copper bump reach a certain threshold value and beyond which, properties start to degrade. The microstructure and grain sizes of the copper bumps are also analyzed using the electron backscatter diffraction.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Graphene oxide (GO) was incorporated to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form GO/PVA composite nanofiber membranes with reinforced mechanical properties via electrospinning technology. The effect of exfoliated degree of GO and dispersion sate in the PVA polymer matrix on the morphology and mechanical properties of composites is studied, revealing that the functional side groups of GO can improve the dispersion and interfacial bonding between the GO and PVA matrix. In addition, it also demonstrates the GO/PVA nanofiber membranes with the significant enhanced mechanical properties (2.28-fold increase in tensile stress) are obtained at a low GO loading (0.3 wt%). Our strategy provides new opportunities for the PVA composite to be involved in other potential applications.Copyright © 2012 by ASME

In the present study, the powder metallurgy route was used to successfully incorporate Ni-coated carbon nanotubes into Sn-Ag-Cu solder, to form a nanocomposite solder. Nanoindentation tests were performed on both composite and Sn-Ag-Cu solder samples to investigate their creep behaviour at room temperature. Characterization results revealed that with the addition of Ni-coated carbon nanotubes, the creep behaviour of composite solder improved significantly as compared to that of the unreinforced solder alloy. Moreover, increasing the maximum load from 20 mN to 100 mN increased the percentage reduction in creep strain rate from 4% to 28%, for the composite compared to its monolithic counterpart after 300 s of holding.Copyright © 2011 by ASME

In this work, varying weight percentages of Ni-coated CNTs (Ni-CNTs) were incorporated into the Sn-Ag-Cu matrix to develop composite solders. The samples were extruded and characterized in terms of their thermal, wettability, microstructural, tensile and nano-mechanical properties. Our characterization results established that the composite technology coupled with nanotechnology in electronic solders can lead to 8% improvement in mechanical performance (in terms of 0.2% yield strength), 12% increase in the ultimate tensile strength and better creep behavior. With the addition of Ni-CNTs, there is no compromise on the melting point of the solder alloy and in fact a better wettability of the nanocomposite solders was observed. Thus, such a Ni-coated CNT filler in Sn-Ag-Cu solder provides a promising interconnect materials for microelectronics assembly and packaging industry.

Light-emitting diode (LED) street lamp has gained its acceptance rapidly in the lighting system as one of choices for low power consumption, high reliability, dimmability, high operation hours, and good color rendering applications. However, as the LED chip temperature strongly affects the optical extraction and the reliability of the LED lamps, LED street lamp performance is heavily relied on a successful thermal management, especially when applications require LED street lamp to operate at high power and hash environment to obtain the desired brightness. As such, a well-designed thermal management, which can lower the LED chip operation temperature, becomes one of the necessities when developing LED street lamp system. The current study developed an effective heat dissipation method for the high power LED street lamp with the consideration of design for manufacturability. Different manufacturable structure designs were proposed for the high power street lamp. The thermal contact conductance between aluminum interfaces was measured in order to provide the system assembly guidelines. The module level thermal performance was also investigated with thermocouples. In addition, finite element (FE) models were established for the temperature simulation of both the module and lamp system. The coefficient of natural convection of the heat sink surface was determined by the correlation of the measurement and simulation results. The system level FE model was employed to optimize and verify the heat dissipation concepts numerically. An optimized structure design and prototype has shown that the high power LED street lamp system can meet the thermal performance requirements.Copyright © 2010 by ASME

Silicon-to-silicon wafer bonding has been successful prepared using sol-gel intermediate layer, which is deposited by spinning acid catalyzed tetraethylthosilicate (TEOS) solution on both two silicon wafer surfaces. To investigate the effects of the process parameters, Draper-Lin small composite design is used, as it requires the minimum runs in the design of experiments. Four process parameters, bonding temperature, solution PH value, solution concentration and solution aging time, have been considered to influence the bond quality, including bond efficiency and bond strength. The bond efficiency is in the range of 40%–90% and bond strength is up to 35 MPa. Statistic analysis shows that the bonding temperature is the dominant factor for the bond quality, while the interaction between temperature and concentration is significant on bond strength. Various characterization techniques, including differential thermal analysis (DTA), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), contact angle measurement and ellipsometry, have been used to study the surface and interface properties. The residual organic species inside the sol-gel coating may be the origin of the significant effect of bonding temperature on the bond efficiency. The interaction effect on bond strength is attributed to the surface hydrophilicity and porosity of sol-gel coating. Higher concentration solution can form lower hydrophilic wafer surface, which results in lower bond strength when bonding temperature is at low level. Whereas, at high bonding temperatures, the increase of porosity of the sol-gel coating prepared by higher sol concentration can absorb more undesired hydrocarbon gas molecules and lead to higher bond strength. The bonding mechanism for the low temperature sol-gel intermediate layer bonding technique is related to the smooth coating surface, porous intermediate layer and water-absent bonding groups.