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Powder bed technologies are amongst the most successful Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques. The application of these techniques to most ceramics has been difficult so far, because of the challenges related to the deposition of homogeneous powder layers when using fine powders.
In this context, the "layerwise slurry deposition" (LSD) has been developed as a layer deposition method enabling the use of powder bed AM technologies also for advanced ceramic materials. The layerwise slurry deposition consists of the layer-by-layer deposition of a ceramic slurry by means of a doctor blade, in which the slurry is deposited and dried to achieve a highly packed powder. Not only very fine, submicron powders can be processed with low organics, but also the dense powder bed provides excellent support to the parts built.
The latest development of this technology shows that it is possible to print ceramic parts in a continuous process by depositing a layer onto a rotating platform, growing a powder bed following a spiral motion. The unique mechanical stability of the layers in LSD-print allows to grow a powder bed several centimeters thick without any lateral support. The continuous layer deposition allows to achieve a productivity more than 10X higher compared to the linear deposition, approaching a build volume of 1 liter/hour.
High Temperature Fatigue Crack Growth in Nickel-Based Alloys Refurbished by Additive Manufacturing
(2024)
Hybrid additive manufacturing plays a crucial role in the restoration of gas turbine blades, where, e.g., the damaged blade tip is reconstructed by the additive manufacturing process on the existing blade made of a parent nickel-based alloy. However, inherent process-related defects in additively manufactured material, along with the interface created between the additively manufactured and the cast base material, impact the fatigue crack growth behavior in bi-material components. This study investigates the fatigue crack growth behavior in bi-material specimens of nickel-based alloys, specifically, additively manufactured STAL15 and cast alloy 247DS. The tests were conducted at 950 °C with stress ratios of 0.1 and −1. Metallographic and fractographic investigations were carried out to understand crack growth mechanisms. The results revealed significant retardation in crack growth at the interface. This study highlights the potential contributions of residual stresses and microstructural differences to the observed crack growth retardation phenomenon, along with the conclusion from an earlier study on the effect of yield strength mismatch on crack growth behavior at a perpendicular interface in bi-material specimens.
Photon-based additive manufacturing technologies such as SLA, DLP, LCM, moreover volumetric two-photon-polymerization, Xolography and holographic technologies promise the highest accuracy and dimensional freedom. But to transfer the light through the feedstock it needs sufficient transparency at the used light wavelength. Ceramic particles used for powder processing routes act as scattering sites and therefore hinder the light transmission, unless…
The particle size and particle size distribution are chosen small and narrow enough. Particles which are smaller than roughly 1/10th of the light wavelength, mostly nanoparticles around 5nm size, decrease scattering vastly. This turns resins even with homogeneously distributed ceramic weight fraction of up to 80% transparent again. Feedstocks could be prepared for the highly accurate two-photon-polymerization gaining the smallest yttria stabilized zirconia structures with a resolution of 500nm and unique mechanical properties. The same feedstocks could be applied to DLP and LCM as layer-by-layer AM-technologies for bigger parts. Hybridizing both technologies lead to ceramic parts with microscopic accuracy at macroscopic dimensions. The feedstock was even applied to the volumetric Xolography with the highest transparency requirement so far and to versatile and flexible holographic AM.
Highly filled nano-particle containing transparent ceramic feedstocks open the way for technical ceramics in high precision manufacturing where the performance and durability and accessibility are increased and created by the unique ceramic properties such as mechanical strength, chemical and thermal resistance and biocompatibility
In order to be able to manipulate ceramic powder compacts and ceramic suspensions (slurries) in their volume with light, a minimum transparency of the materials is required. Compared to polymers and metals, ceramic materials are characterized by the fact that they have a wide electronic band gap and therefore a wide optical window of transparency. The optical window generally ranges from less than 0.3 µm to 5 µm wavelength. Therefore, to focus light into the volume of a ceramic powder compact, its light scattering properties need to be tailored. In this study, we present the physical background and material development strategies for the application of two-photon polymerization (2PP), Xolography and selective volumetric sintering for the additive manufacturing of structures in the volume of ceramic slips and green compacts.
Advanced ceramics printed with photon-based additive manufacturing deals with anisotropic mechanical properties from the layer-by-layer manufacturing. Motivated by the success in using highly filled transparent slurries containing nanoparticles for powder-based two-photon-polymerization (2PP) for advanced ceramic printing, this works approach is the transfer to Xolography, a volumetric additive manufacturing technology based on linear two-photon excitation and without recoating steps. This paper reports the results of a preliminary investigation optimizing the photocurable slurry to the requirements of Xolography in terms of transparency, over a significantly larger mean free path, compared to 2PP. A feedstock filled with 70 % weight fraction of ceramic particles (∼30 vol%) exhibiting an exceptionally high degree of transparency in the relevant wavelength range of 400–800 nm was prepared from 5 nm zirconia nanoparticles. The high transparency of the photocurable slurry is attributed to the near-monomodal particle size distribution of the zirconia nanoparticles used.
AbstractTwo‐photon polymerization (2PP) additive manufacturing (AM) utilizes feedstocks of ceramic nanoparticles of a few nanometers in diameter, enabling the fabrication of highly accurate technical ceramic design with structural details as small as 500 nm. The performance of these materials is expected to differ from conventional AM ceramics, as nanoparticles and three‐dimensional printing at high resolution introduce new microstructural aspects. This study applies 2PP‐AM of yttria‐stabilized zirconia to investigate the mechanical response behavior under compressive load, probing the influence of smallest structural units induced by the line packing during the printing process, design of sintered microblocks, and sintering temperature and thereby microstructure. We find a dissipative mechanical response enhanced by sintering at lower temperatures than conventional. The pursued 2PP‐AM approach yields a microstructured material with an increased number of grain boundaries that proposedly play a major role in facilitating energy dissipation within the here printed ceramic material. This microplastic response is further triggered by the filigree structures induced by hollow line packing at the order of the critical defect size of ceramics. Together, these unique aspects made accessible by the 2PP‐AM approach contribute to a heterogeneous nano‐ and microstructure, and hint toward opportunities for tailoring the mechanical response in future ceramic applications.
Non-equilibrium microstructure evolution in additive manufacturing (AM) is a major barrier for establishing a safe and sustainable application of AM in industrial processes. The constant heat source in the AM continuously affects the just-solidified grains beneath the melting pool, leading to directional grain growth (DGG). While real-time measurements of the non-equilibrium microstructure evolution is challenging, here developing a computational framework to systematically explore DGG becomes imperative.
We have advanced a comprehensive approach, integrating mean-field modeling and phase-field simulations, to elucidate the dynamics of DGG under an external driving force. Our simulations unveil a steady-state power-law grain growth kinetics during DGG, characterized by the interplay between curvature-driven dynamics at grain boundary junctions and directional driving forces.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) of AISI 316L stainless steel has gained popularity due to its exceptional capacity to produce complex geometries and hierarchical microstructures, which can increase the yield strength while maintaining good ductility. Nevertheless, owing to high thermal gradients encountered during the process, the as printed 316L stainless steel often exhibit microstructural heterogeneities and residual stresses, which can limit its performance in demanding environments. Hence, employing heat treatments which balance the reduction of residual stresses while retaining improved static strength may be beneficial in various scenarios and applications. This study investigates the impact of post-processing heat treatments on the microstructure of 316L stainless steel manufactured via PBF-LB/M, along with its correlation with micro-hardness properties. To this end, 6 different heat treatments, i.e., 450 °C for 4h, 700 °C for 1h, 700 °C for 3h, 800 °C for 1h, 800 °C for 3h, and 900 °C for 1h, were applied to different specimens and Vickers hardness measurements (HV1) were performed in all states. At 800 °C, although the cellular structure appears to be retained, there is an observable increase in cellular size. However, while treatments exceeding 900 °C indicate no significant grain growth compared to other conditions, the cellular structure is entirely dissolved, which leads to a reduced Vickers hardness. The effect of the heat treatments on other microstructural features such as grain size and morphology, melt pool boundaries (MPB), crystallographic texture, chemical segregation, dispersoids and phase stability are also discussed in the present work
An interlaboratory study, involving eigth international laboratories and coordinated by COMTES FHT (Czech Republic), was conducted to validate tensile measurements obtained using miniature specimens on additively manufactured (AM) components and artifacts. In addition to AM 316L stainless steel (316L SS), a wrought highstrength steel (34CrNiMo6V, equivalent to AISI 4340) was also used. Based on the results, a precision statement in accordance with ASTM E691 standard practice was developed, intended for inclusion in a proposed annex to the ASTM E8/E8M tension testing method. The primary outcomes of the study highlighted the agreement between yield and tensile strength measured from miniature and standard-sized tensile specimens. Furthermore, most tensile properties exhibited similar standard deviations, offering users insight into the efficacy of miniature specimen applications.
This study investigates the room‐ and high‐temperature (650 °C) tensile and low‐cycle‐fatigue behavior of Inconel 718 produced by laser powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB/M) with a four‐step heat treatment and compares the results to the conventional wrought material. The microstructure after heat treatment is characterized on different length scales. Compared to the wrought variant, the elastic and yield properties are comparable at both test temperatures while tensile strength, ductility, and strain hardening capacity are lower. The fatigue life of the PBF‐LB/M variant at room temperature is slightly lower than that of the wrought material, while at 650 °C, it is vice versa. The cyclic stress response for both material variants is characterized by cyclic softening, which is more pronounced at the higher test temperature. High strain amplitudes (≥0.7%) at room temperature and especially a high testing temperature result in the formation of multiple secondary cracks at the transitions of regions comprising predominantly elongated grain morphology and columns of stacked grains with ripple patterns in the PBF‐LB/M material. This observation and pronounced crack branching and deflection indicate that the cracks are controlled by sharp micromechanical gradients and local crystallite clusters.
Mean-field modeling and phase-field simulation of grain growth under directional driving forces
(2024)
Directional grain growth is a common phenomenon in the synthetic and natural evolution of various polycrystals. It occurs in the presence of an external driving force, such as a temperature gradient, along which grains show a preferred, yet competitive, growth. Novel additive manufacturing processes, with intense, localized energy deposition, are prominent examples of when directional grain growth can occur, beneath the melting pool. In this work, we derive a phenomenological mean-field model and perform 3D phase-field simulations to investigate the directional grain growth and its underlying physical mechanisms. The effect of the intensity of driving force is simulated and systematically analyzed at the evolving growth front as well as various cross-sections perpendicular to the direction of the driving force. We found that although the directional growth significantly deviates from normal grain growth, it is still governed by a power law relation <R> α tⁿ with an exponent n ~ 0.6–0.7. The exponent n exhibits a nontrivial dependence on the magnitude of the directional driving force, such that the lowest growth exponent is observed for intermediate driving forces. We elaborate that this can originate from the fact that the forces at grain boundary junctions evolve out of balance under the influence of the directional driving force. With increasing the driving forces, the growth exponent asymptotically approaches a value of n ≈ 0.63, imposed by the largest possible grain aspect ratio for given grain boundary energies. The current combined mean-field and phase-field framework pave the way for future exploration in broader contexts such as the evolution of complex additively manufactured microstructures.
Laser melting manufacturing of large elements of lunar regolith simulant for paving on the Moon
(2023)
The next steps for the expansion of the human presence in the solar system will be taken on the Moon. However, due to the low lunar gravity, the suspended dust generated when lunar rovers move across the lunar soil is a significant risk for lunar missions as it can affect the systems of the exploration vehicles. One solution to mitigate this problem is the construction of roads and landing pads on the Moon. In addition, to increase the sustainability of future lunar missions, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) techniques must be developed. In this paper, the use of concentrated light for paving on the Moon by melting the lunar regolith is investigated. As a substitute of the concentrated sunlight, a high-power CO2 laser is used in the experiments. With this set-up, a maximum laser spot diameter of 100 mm can be achieved, which translates in high thicknesses of the consolidated layers. Furthermore, the lunar regolith simulant EAC-1A is used as a substitute of the actual lunar soil. At the end of the study, large samples (approximately 250 × 250 mm) with interlocking capabilities were fabricated by melting the lunar simulant with the laser directly on the powder bed. Large areas of lunar soil can be covered with these samples and serve as roads and landing pads, decreasing the propagation of lunar dust. These manufactured samples were analysed regarding their ineralogical composition, internal structure and mechanical properties.
This article reports temperature-dependent elastic properties (Young’s modulus, shear modulus) of three alloys measured by the dynamic resonance method. The alloys Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel IN718, and AISI 316 L were each investigated in a variant produced by an additive manufacturing processing route and by a conventional manufacturing processing route. The datasets include information on processing routes and parameters, heat treatments, grain size, specimen dimensions, and weight, as well as Young’s and shear modulus along with their measurement uncertainty. The process routes and methods are described in detail. The datasets were generated in an accredited testing lab, audited as BAM reference data, and are hosted in the open data repository Zenodo. Possible data usages include the verification of the correctness of the test setup via Young’s modulus comparison in low-cycle fatigue (LCF) or thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) testing campaigns, the design auf VHCF specimens and the use as input data for simulation purposes.
Although layer-based additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) offer an immense geometrical freedom in design, they are typically subject to a build-up of internal stress (i.e. thermal stress) during manufacturing. As a consequence, significant residual stress (RS) is retained in the final part as a footprint of these internal stresses. Furthermore, localized melting and solidification inherently induce columnar-type grain growth accompanied by crystallographic texture. Although diffraction-based methods are commonly used to determine the RS distribution in PBF-LB parts, such features pose metrological challenges in their application. In theory, preferred grain orientation invalidates the hypothesis of isotropic material behavior underlying the common methods to determine RS. In this work, more refined methods are employed to determine RS in PBF-LB/M/IN718 prisms, based on crystallographic texture data. In fact, the employment of direction-dependent elastic constants (i.e. stress factors) for the calculation of RS results in insignificant differences from conventional approaches based on the hypothesis of isotropic mechanical properties. It can be concluded that this result is directly linked to the fact that the {311} lattice planes typically used for RS analysis in nickel-based alloys have high multiplicity and less strong texture intensities compared with other lattice planes. It is also found that the length of the laser scan vectors determines the surface RS distribution in prisms prior to their removal from the baseplate. On removal from the baseplate the surface RS considerably relaxes and/or redistributes; a combination of the geometry and the scanning strategy dictates the sub-surface RS distribution.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of austenitic stainless steel AISI 316L were investigated between room temperature and 900 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser powder bed fusion, PBF‑LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled sheet). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of Ni-based alloy Inconel IN718 were investigated between room temperature and 800 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser powder bed fusion, PBF‑LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled bar). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
The elastic properties (Young's modulus, shear modulus) of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V were investigated between room temperature and 400 °C in an additively manufactured variant (laser-based directed energy deposition with powder as feedstock, DED-LB/M) and from a conventional process route (hot rolled bar). The moduli were determined using the dynamic resonance method. The data set includes information on processing parameters, heat treatments, microstructure, grain size, specimen dimensions and weight, Young’s and shear modulus as well as their measurement uncertainty.
The dataset was generated in an accredited testing lab using calibrated measuring equipment. The calibrations meet the requirements of the test procedure and are metrologically traceable. The dataset was audited as BAM reference data.
3D printing or additive manufacturing in space is of great value for long-term human spaceflight missions and space stations, conveniently offering access to a ‘virtual warehouse’ of tools and spare parts on the push of a button. The process only needs one type of feedstock such as powder or filament and only as much material as the final part requires, giving it a huge weight benefit over traditional subtractive methods.
While 3D printers are already operational on the ISS since 2014, the utilized processes are only capable of manufacturing relatively low strength parts from polymers not suitable for many tools or critical components. To gain access to high quality metal prints, a modified Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) process was developed to stabilize the critical powder bed in microgravity through a gas flow [2]. This setup was able to generate a (miniature) steel wrench during parabolic flights, but a reliable layer deposition has raised challenges due to the combination of gas flow parameters with microgravity conditions. Furthermore, the quality and density of the powder bed, which is critical for the process, cannot be examined afterward on the ground. This is due to hyper gravity phases during the flight that are influencing the properties of the powder bed.
In this paper, the challenges of the layer deposition are revised, and the subsequent evolution of the recoating system explained. Later, the challenges of an in-situ quality control, evaluation, and quantification of the properties of the powder bed are examined. As a solution, a high-resolution line-scanner is proposed and its implementation int the compact LPBF system demonstrated. Its ability to measure common defects such as ridges in the deposited layer is shown in experiments at normal gravity. As an illustration, Figure 1 shows an extreme case of the formation of ridges.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
At the Workshop "Neutron and Synchrotron Monitoring in Aerospace Advanced Manufacturing" at the Institute of Materials Physics in Space, German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, we presented on the opportunities and our experiences of using a powder based additive manufacturing process for in-space manufacturing applications in microgravity.
The Global Exploration Strategy of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) describes a timeframe of 2020 and beyond with the ultimate aim to establish a human presence on Mars towards the 2040ies. The next steps lie on the Moon with a focus on the coming 10 years. Early lunar surface missions will establish a capability in support of lunar science and prepare and test mission operations for subsequent human exploration of Mars and long-duration human activities on the Moon.
Given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth, a prerequisite for future human exploration is the manufacturing of elements directly on the Moon’s surface. Unlike the equipment, which at the beginning will have to be brought from Earth, raw materials and energy could be available following the concept of In-Situ Resource Utilization. The ESA OSIP PAVING THE ROAD (PAVER) study investigates the use of a laser to sinter regolith into paving elements for use as roadways and launch pads thus mitigating dust issues for transport and exploration vehicles.
The ESA-funded study examines the potential of using a laser (12 kW CO2 laser with spot beam up to 100 mm) for layer sintering of lunar and martian regolith powders to manufacture larger 3D elements and provide know-how for the automatic manufacture of paving elements in the lunar environment. The project contributes to the first step toward the establishment of a lunar base and will lead to the construction of equipment capable of paving areas and manufacturing 3D structures.
PAVER project sets the starting point for an examination of the larger context of lunar exploration. Mission scenarios will look at different phases of lunar exploration: Robotic Lunar Exploration, Survivability, Sustainability, and Operational Phase. A proposed Technology Roadmap investigates the mission scenario and analyses how, and to which extent, laser melting/sintering will play a role in the various phases of exploration. The paper contextualizes laser sintering within selected mission scenarios and discusses the different kinds of infrastructure that can be produced at each phase of the mission. The outcome of the study includes the detailing of the TRL steps in the project and an outline of a timeline for the different elements. Covered aspects include terrain modelling such as operation pads, roadways, or towers, non-pressurized building structures to protect machinery, and habitat envelopes, to protect and shield humans against dust, micrometeoroids, and radiation.
3D-printed landing pads on the moon: Paving the road for large area sintering of lunar regolith.
A prerequisite for lunar exploration and beyond is the manufacturing of objects directly on the moon, given the extreme costs involved in the shipping of material from Earth. Looking at processes, raw materials, and energy sources, equipment will certainly have to be brought from Earth at the beginning. Available on the moon are lunar regolith as raw material and the sun as an energy source. One of the first steps towards the establishment of a lunar base is the creation of infrastructure elements, such as roads and landing pads.
We’ll introduce you to the ESA-project PAVER that demonstrates the sintering and melting of lunar regolith simulant material to produce large scale 3D printed elements that could be used during human and robotic lunar explorations.
The round robin test investigated the reliability users can expect for AlSi10Mg additive manufactured specimens by laser powder bed fusion through examining powder quality, process parameter, microstructure defects, strength and fatigue. Besides for one outlier, expected static material properties could be found. Optical microstructure inspection was beneficial to determine true porosity and porosity types to explain the occurring scatter in properties. Fractographic analyses reveal that the fatigue crack propagation starts at the rough as-built surface for all specimens. Statistical analysis of the scatter in fatigue using statistical derived safety factors concludes that at a stress of 36.87 MPa the fatigue limit of 107 cycles could be reached for all specimen with a survival probability of 99.999 %.
The manufacturability of metallic alloys using laser-based additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion has substantially improved within the last decade. However, local melting and solidification cause hierarchically structured and crystallographically textured microstructures possessing large residual stress. Such microstructures are not only the origin of mechanical anisotropy but also pose metrological challenges for the diffraction-based residual stress determination. Here we demonstrate the influence of the build orientation and the texture on the microstructure and consequently the mechanical anisotropy of as-built Inconel 718. For this purpose, we manufactured specimens with [001]/[011]-, [001]- and [011]/[111]-type textures along their loading direction. In addition to changes in the Young’s moduli, the differences in the crystallographic textures result in variations of the yield and ultimate tensile strengths. With this in mind, we studied the anisotropy on the micromechanical scale by subjecting the specimens to tensile loads along the different texture directions during in situ neutron diffraction experiments. In this context, the response of multiple lattice planes up to a tensile strain of 10% displayed differences in the load partitioning and the residual strain accumulation for the specimen with [011]/[111]-type texture. However, the relative behavior of the specimens possessing an [001]/[011]- and [001]-type texture remained qualitatively similar. The consequences on the metrology of residual stress determination methods are discussed.
Recently, additive manufacturing of ceramics has achieved the maturity to be transferred from scientific laboratories to industrial applications. At the same time, research is progressing to expand the boundaries of this field into the territory of novel materials and applications. This feature issue addresses current progress in all aspects of additive manufacturing of ceramics, from parts design to feedstock selection, from technological development to characterization of printed components.
Instead of foreseeing and preparing for all possible scenarios of machine failures, accidents, and other challenges arising in space missions, it appears logical to take advantage of the flexibility of additive manufacturing for “in-space manufacturing” (ISM). Manned missions into space rely on complicated equipment, and their safe operation is a great challenge. Bearing in mind the absolute distance for manned missions to the Moon and Mars, the supply of spare parts for the repair and replacement of lost equipment via shipment from Earth would require too much time. With the high flexibility in design and the ability to manufacture ready-to-use components directly from a computer-aided model, additive manufacturing technologies appear to be extremely attractive in this context. Moreover, appropriate technologies are required for the manufacture of building habitats for extended stays of astronauts on the Moon and Mars, as well as material/feedstock. The capacities for sending equipment and material into space are not only very limited and costly, but also raise concerns regarding environmental issues on Earth. Accordingly, not all materials can be sent from Earth, and strategies for the use of in-situ resources, i.e., in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), are being
envisioned. For the manufacturing of both complex parts and equipment, as well as for large infrastructure, appropriate technologies for material processing in space need to be developed.
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metallic alloys has gained momentum in the past decade for industrial applications. The microstructures of AM metallic alloys are complex and hierarchical from the macroscopic to the nanometer scale. When using laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, two main microstructural features emerge at the nanoscale: the melt pool boundaries (MPB) and the solidification cellular substructure.
Here, details of the MPB are revealed to clearly show the three-dimensional nature of MPBs with changes of cell growth of direction and their relation to their surrounding cellular substructure, as investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for L-PBF 316L austenitic stainless steel (cf. Figure 1). A hitherto unknown modulated substructure with a period of 21 nm is further discovered within cells as the result of a partial Ga+-focused ion beam-induced ferritic transformation of the austenite. Cell cores and cell boundaries differ notably regarding the modulated substructure.
In the current study, the 3D nature of the melt pool boundaries (MPBs) in a 316 L austenitic steel additively manufactured by laser-based powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is investigated. The change of the cell growth direction and its relationship to the MPBs is investigated by transmission electron microscopy. A hitherto unreported modulated substructure with a periodicity of 21 nm is further discovered within the cell cores of the cellular substructure, which results from a partial transformation of the austenite, which is induced by a Ga+ focused ion beam. While the cell cores show the modulated substructure, cell boundaries do not. The diffraction pattern of the modulated substructure is exploited to show a thickness ≥200 nm for the MPB. At MPBs, the cell walls are suppressed, leading to continuously connecting cell cores across the MPB. This continuous MPB is described either as overlapping regions of cells of different growing directions when a new melt pool solidifies or as a narrow planar growth preceding the new melt pool.
Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) are characterized by layer wise construction, which enable advancements of component design, with associated potential gains in performance and efficiency. However, high magnitude residual stresses (RS) are often a product of the rapid thermal cycles typical of the layerwise process. Therefore, a deep understanding of the formation of RS, the influence of process parameters on their magnitude and the impact on mechanical performance is crucial for widespread application. The experimental characterisation of these RS is essential for safety related engineering application and supports the development of reliable numerical models. Diffraction-based methods for RS analysis using neutrons and high energy X-rays enable non-destructive spatially resolved characterisation of both surface and bulk residual stresses in complex components. This presentation will provide an overview of recent research by the BAM at large scale facilities for the characterization of residual stresses in LPBF metallic alloys as a function of process parameters. In addition, the challenges posed by the textured and hierarchical microstructures of LPBF materials on diffraction-based RS analysis in AM materials will be discussed. This will include the question of the d0 reference lattice spacing and the appropriate choice of the diffraction elastic constants (DECs) to calculate the level of RS in LPBF manufactured alloys.
Abstract of the event: 'The area of New Space is a vastly growing and dynamic field with a high innovative potential and many exciting ideas. After decades where activities in space were dominated and funded mainly by governmental agencies, a new industry is forming and new business models are being developed around ideas like satellite-based internet, space travel, space mining, geo-monitoring etc. For space applications, lightweight design is crucial to keep the costs at a minimum. This Innovation Day will introduce the field of New Space and present the variety of exciting opportunities that arise for composites based on their excellent lightweight potential.' Another research area is now arising in the field of 3D printing or additive manufacturing of fiber composite materials in space. At the event, we presented on the opportunities and our experiences of using a powder based additive manufacturing process for in-space manufacturing applications.
In-space manufacturing (ISM) provides the opportunity to manufacture and repair critical components on future human spaceflight missions. For explorations to Mars and beyond, ISM is a key strategy not only due to the long travel distances and high costs of supply from earth but also to be able to safely work in space for years. Human spaceflight is still dependent on shipments from earth that can fail for several reasons. ISM is a valuable alternative to ensure the timely and safe resupply of space missions.
With additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, components are built directly from a 3D computer-aided-design (CAD) model which offers the advantages of freedom of design and the production of complex and ready-to-use parts. A virtual tool box with 3D models in space or the supply of information instead of components from earth to space can strongly benefit future missions. For industrial use, most research has focused on laser based additive manufacturing processes such as laser beam melting (LBM) where metallic powder particles are spread into a uniform powder bed and melted by a laser to the desired shape.
In the absence of gravity, the handling of metal powders, which is essential for the process, is challenging. We present an evolution of an AM system, where a gas flow throughout the powder bed is applied to stabilize the powder bed. This is needed to compensate for the missing gravitational forces in microgravity experiments on parabolic flight campaigns. The system consists of a porous building platform acting as a filter for the fixation of metal particles in a gas flow. It is driven by reduced pressure established by a vacuum pump underneath the platform. The system creates a drag force that directs the particles towards the porous building platform, similar to the effect of the gravitational force.
The AM system with its gas-flow-assisted powder deposition has been tested in several parabolic flight campaigns, and stainless-steel powder has successfully been processed during microgravity conditions. Different powder recoating mechanisms have been investigated to assess the homogeneous distribution of the powder as well as the attachment of the next layer to the powder bed. These mechanisms included different container designs with parallel double blades and with a V-shape at the bottom, and a roller recoating system. The samples presented are the first metal parts ever manufactured using LBM in μ-gravity. In addition to manufacturing in a μ-gravity environment, the experiments have shown the feasibility to manufacture components at different accelerations during the parabolic flight: hyper gravity (1.8 g), μ-gravity (< 0.01 g) and 1 g. Recent results will also be presented describing the application of this LBM setup in a parabolic flight campaign with mixed lunar, martian and µ-gravity acceleration, during which the processing of a lunar regolith simulant powder was tested.
For ISM, the development and testing of the proposed AM system demonstrates that LBM can be considered a viable technology for the manufacturing of metal and ceramic parts in a μ-gravity or reduced-gravity environment.
The insulation system of high voltage electrical devices like generators and electrical motors has to withstand thermal, electrical, ambient and mechanical influences (TEAM) during operation. Especially the dielectric properties have to satisfy the requirements also under elevated temperatures and extreme environments. To provide this high quality, the conventional fabrication process uses partly manually applied insulation tapes combined with a cost-intensive and under safety concerns at least problematic vacuum pressure impregnation step (VPI). In order to reduce process costs by increasing the degree of automation and avoiding the VPI process, additively manufactured (AM) insulations were studied. This study focuses on the fabrication of ceramic/polymer compounds via AM technique. The AM technology used a rotating screw extrusion print head with air pressure to supply the paste. Plate-like samples with dimensions of 55 mm x 55 mm x1mm thickness were produced. This work focuses on the homogeneously high viscous paste with 12.5 to 50 volume % ratio of filler particles. Three types of mica powders as ceramic filler materials with different particle sizes from micro to mm scale were evaluated. The controlled volume % ratio of particles affects the paste viscosity which enables stacking of paste layers with a viscosity close to clay pastes. The mixed pastes were cured by heating and UV light to increase mechanical properties. A TG/DTA was performed, and electrical properties were investigated. First experiments with respect to the dielectric properties such as volume resistance, permittivity and dielectric strength revealed promising results and the possibility to use AM techniques for the fabrication of high voltage insulations for electrical machines.
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process for materials which inherently tends to yield various degrees of metastable hierarchical microstructures, defects and high residual stresses in the as-built condition depending on the process parameters. The understanding of the evolution of these typical features during heat treatment and subsequent thermal and mechanical ageing is crucial for the wider acceptance for safety critical structures. A multi-disciplinary research project at BAM studying the development of the microstructure, defects, residual stresses typical of LPBF 316L and their evolution during thermal and mechanical ageing has led to insights into the stability of these inherent features. This presentation aims to give a broad overview of the project with a few specific cases of investigation. Firstly, the formation of residual stresses, the nature of the initial microstructure, the tensile properties and a modelling approach to understand the anisotropy will be presented. This will be followed by examples of studies of their evolution during heat treatment, long term thermal exposure, and room temperature and high temperature mechanical testing compared to a baseline of conventional wrought variant of the same alloy.
This study reports on the stress relaxation potential of stress-relieving heat treatments for laser powder bed fused 316L. The residual stress is monitored non-destructively using neutron diffraction before and after the heat treatment. Moreover, the evolution of the microstructure is analysed using scanning electron microscopy. The results show, that a strong relaxation of the residual stress is obtained when applying a heat treatment temperature at 900°C. However, the loss of the cellular substructure needs to be considered when applying this heat treatment strategy.
Ti-6Al-4V alloy is intensively used in the aerospace industry because of its high specific strength. However, the application of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Ti-6Al-4V alloy for structurally critical load-bearing components is limited. One of the main limiting factors affecting the structural integrity, are manufacturing defects. Additionally, the high cooling rates associated with LPBF process result in the formation of large residual stress (RS) with complex fields. Such RS can cause cracking and geometrical distortions of the part even right after production. Also, the microstructure of LPBF Ti-6Al-4V in the as-built condition is significantly different from that of the conventionally produced alloy. All these factors affect the mechanical behavior of the material. Therefore, to improve the material performance it is important to evaluate the individual effect of RS, defects, and microstructure on fatigue life. To this aim Ti-6Al-4V LPBF material in as-built condition and subjected to different post-processing, including two heat treatments (for stress relief and microstructural modification) and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP, for densification), were investigated.
Prior to fatigue tests at elevated temperature, the microstructure, the mesostructure, and subsurface RS on the fatigue samples were investigated. It was found that the fatigue performance of HIPped samples is similar to that of conventionally produced Ti-6Al-4V. The tensile RS found at the surface of as-built samples decreased the fatigue life compared to heat-treated samples. Additionally, the modification of the microstructure (by heat treatment) did not affect the fatigue performance in the regime of mostly elastic strain. This shows that in the absence of tensile RS the manufacturing defects solely control the failure of LPBF components and densification has the strongest effect on the improvement of the mechanical performance.
Undetected and undesired microstructural variations in components produced by laser powder bed fusion are a major challenge, especially for safety-critical components. In this study, an in-depth analysis of the microstructural features of 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion at different levels of volumetric energy density and different levels of inter layer time is reported. The study has been conducted on specimens with an application relevant build height
(>100 mm). Furthermore, the evolution of the intrinsic preheating temperature during the build-up of specimens was monitored using a thermographic in-situ monitoring set-up. By applying recently determined emissivity values of 316L powder layers, real temperatures could be quantified. Heat accumulation led to preheating temperatures of up to about 600 °C. Significant differences in the preheating temperatures were discussed with respect to the individual process parameter combinations, including the build height. A strong effect of the inter layer time on the heat accumulation was observed. A shorter inter layer time resulted in an increase of the preheating temperature by more than a factor of 2 in the upper part of the specimens compared to longer inter layer times. This, in turn, resulted in heterogeneity of the microstructure and differences in material properties within individual specimens. The resulting differences in the microstructure were analyzed using electron back scatter diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Results from chemical analysis as well as electron back scatter diffraction measurements indicated stable conditions in terms of chemical alloy composition and austenite phase content for the used set of parameter combinations. However, an increase of the average grain size by more than a factor of 2.5 could be revealed within individual specimens. Additionally, differences in feature size of the solidification cellular substructure were examined and a trend of increasing cell sizes was observed. This trend was attributed to differences in solidification rate and thermal gradients induced by differences in scanning velocity and preheating temperature. A change of the thermal history due to intrinsic preheating could be identified as the main cause of this heterogeneity. It was induced by critical combinations of the energy input and differences in heat transfer conditions by variations of the inter layer time. The microstructural variations were directly correlated to differences in hardness.
Additive manufacturing is well established for plastics and metals, and it gets more and more implemented in a variety of industrial processes. Beside these well-established material platforms, additive manufacturing processes are highly interesting for ceramics, especially regarding resource conservation and for the production of complex three-dimensional shapes and structures with specific feature sizes in the µm and mm range with high accuracy. The usage of ceramics in 3D printing is, however, just at the beginning of a technical implementation in a continuously and fast rising field of research and development. The flexible fabrication of highly complex and precise 3D structures by means of light-induced photopolymerization that are difficult to realize using traditional ceramic fabrication methods such as casting and machining is of high importance. Generally, slurry-based ceramic 3D printing technologies involve liquid or semi-liquid polymeric systems dispersed with ceramic particles as feedstock (inks or pastes), depending on the solid loading and viscosity of the system. This paper includes all types of photo-curable polymer-ceramic-mixtures (feedstock), while demonstrating our own work on 3D printed alumina toughened zirconia based ceramic slurries with light induced polymerization on the basis of two-photon absorption (TPA) for the first time. As a proven exemplary on cuboids with varying edge length and double pyramids in the µm-range we state that real 3D micro-stereolithographic fabrication of ceramic products will be generally possible in the near future by means of TPA. This technology enables the fabrication of 3D structures with high accuracy in comparison to ceramic technologies that apply single-photon excitation. In sum, our work is intended to contribute to the fundamental development of this technology for the representation of oxide-ceramic components (proof-of-principle) and helps to exploit the high potential of additive processes in the field of bio-ceramics in the medium to long-term future.
The underlying cause of mechanical anisotropy in additively manufactured (AM) parts is not yet fully understood and has been attributed to several different factors like microstructural defects, residual stresses, melt pool boundaries, crystallographic and morphological textures.
To better understand the main contributing factor to the mechanical anisotropy of AM stainless steel 316L, bulk specimens were fabricated via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF).
Tensile specimens were machined from these AM bulk materials for three different inclinations relative to the build plate. Dynamic Young's modulus measurements and tensile tests were used to determine the mechanical anisotropy. Some tensile specimens were also subjected to residual stress measurement via neutron diffraction, porosity determination with X-ray micro-computed tomography, and texture analysis with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). A crystal plasticity model was used to analyze the elastic anisotropy and the anisotropic yield behavior of the AM specimens, and it was able to capture and predict the experimental behavior accurately. Overall, it was shown that the mechanical anisotropy of the tested specimens was mainly influenced by the crystallographic texture.
Manufacturing defects, high residual stress (RS), and microstructures affect the structural integrity of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) Ti-6Al-4V. In this study, the individual effect of these factors on fatigue performance at elevated temperature (300 °C) was evaluated. Material in as-built condition and subjected to post-processing, including two heat treatments and hot isostatic pressing, was investigated. It was found that in the absence of tensile RS, the fatigue life at elevated temperature is primary controlled by the defects; and densification has a much stronger effect than the considered heat treatments on the improvement of the mechanical performance.
The determination of residual stresses becomes more complicated with increasing complexity of the structures investigated. Additive manufacturing techniques generally allow the production of ‘lattice structures’ without any additional manufacturing step. These lattice structures consist of thin struts and are thus susceptible to internal stress-induced distortion and even cracks. In most cases, internal stresses remain locked in the structures as residual stress.
The determination of the residual stress in lattice structures through nondestructive neutron diffraction is described in this work. It is shown how two difficulties can be overcome: (a) the correct alignment of the lattice structures within the neutron beam and (b) the correct determination of the residual stress field in a representative part of the structure. The magnitude and the direction of residual stress are discussed. The residual stress in the strut was found to be uniaxial and to follow the orientation of the strut, while the residual stress in the knots was more hydrostatic. Additionally, it is shown that strain measurements in at least seven independent directions are necessary for the estimation of the principal stress directions. The measurement directions should be chosen according to the sample geometry and an informed choice on the possible strain field. If the most prominent direction is not measured, the error in the calculated stress magnitude increases considerably.
Laser based powder bed fusion additive manufacturing offers the flexibility to incorporate standard and userdefined scan strategies in a layer or in between the layers for the customized fabrication of metallic components. In the present study, four different scan strategies and their impact on the development of microstructure, texture, and residual stresses in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing of a nickel-based superalloy Inconel 718 was investigated. Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy combined with electron backscatter diffraction, and neutron diffraction were used as the characterization tools. Strong textures with epitaxially grown columnar grains were observed along the build direction for the two individual scan strategies. Patterns depicting the respective scan strategies were visible in the build plane, which dictated the microstructure development in the other planes. An alternating strategy combining the individual strategies in the successive layers and a 67◦ rotational strategy weakened the texture by forming finer microstructural features. Von Mises equivalent stress plots revealed lower stress values and gradients, which translates as lower distortions for the alternating and rotational strategies. Overall results confirmed the scope for manipulating the microstructure, texture, and residual stresses during laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing by effectively controlling the scan strategies.
Additively manufactured metallic materials have already started to find application in safety-relevant components. However, this has only happened for certain materials and specific applications and loading conditions, since there is still an extensive lack of knowledge as well as of historical data regarding their mechanical behaviour. This contribution aims to address this lack of understanding and historical data concerning the creep behaviour of the austenitic stainless steel 316L manufactured by Laser-Powder-Bed-Fusion (L-PBF) and the low-cycle-fatigue behaviour of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V manufactured by Laser-Metal-Deposition (LMD). Furthermore, it aims to assess their mechanical behaviour against their conventional counterparts. With that in mind, specimens from conventional and additive materials are tested and their mechanical behaviour analysed based on characteristic curves. To understand the damage behaviours the materials are characterized by destructive and non-destructive techniques before and after failure.
Creep and fracture behavior of conventionally and additively manufactured stainless steel 316L
(2020)
A critical task within the frame of establishing process-structure-property-performance relationships in additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is producing reliable and well-documented material behavior’s data and knowledge regarding the structure-property correlation, including the role of defects. After all, it represents the basis for developing more targeted process optimizations and more reliable predictions of performance in the future. Within this context, this contribution aims to close the actual gap of limited historical data and knowledge concerning the creep behavior of the widely used austenitic stainless steel 316L, manufactured by Laser-Powder-Bed-Fusion (L-PBF). To address this objective, specimens from conventional hot-rolled and AM material were tested under application-relevant conditions according to existing standards for conventional material, and microstructurally characterized before and after failure. The test specimens were machined from single blocks from the AM material. The blocks were manufactured using a standard scan and build-up strategy and were subsequently heat-treated. The creep behavior is described and comparatively assessed based on the creep lifetime and selected creep curves and characteristic values. The effect of defects and microstructure on the material’s behavior is analyzed based on destructive and non-destructive evaluations on selected specimens. The AM material shows shorter creep lives, reaches the secondary creep stage much faster and at a lower strain, and features lower creep ductility compared to its conventional counterpart. The creep damage behavior of the AM material is more microstructure than defect controlled and is characterized by the formation and accumulation of single intergranular damage along the whole volume. Critical features identified are the grain morphology and the grain-boundary as well as the dislocation’s density. Micro-computed tomography (µCT) proves to be an alternative to metallography to analyze the creep damage.
Methods and materials are presented here, which enable the manufacturing of fine structures using a 3D-printing method known as two-photon polymerization (2PP). As traditional photolithography methods for structuring ceramic slurries do not function with 2PP, due to light scattering on ceramic particles, a novel water-based photoresist with high ceramic loading of extremely well dispersed ceramic nano particles was developed. This photoresist is basically a ceramic slurry containing a photocurable agent and a photoinitiator to be crosslinkable with the 780 nm wavelength femtosecond laser light source of the 2PP machine. It is demonstrated that it is possible to gain a highly transparent and low viscous slurry suitable for 2PP processing. This work shows the development of the slurry, first printing results and the post-printing processes required to form three dimensional ceramic microstructures consisting of alumina toughened zirconia (ATZ).
Ti-6Al-4V alloy is intensively used in the aerospace industry because of its high specific strength. However, the application of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Ti-6Al-4V alloy for structurally critical load-bearing components is limited. One of the main limiting factors affecting the structural integrity, are manufacturing defects. Additionally, the high cooling rates associated with LPBF process result in the formation of large residual stress (RS) with complex fields. Such RS can cause cracking and geometrical distortions of the part even right after production. Also, the microstructure of LPBF Ti-6Al-4V in the as-built condition is significantly different from that of the conventionally produced alloy. All these factors affect the mechanical behavior of the material. Therefore, to improve the material performance it is important to evaluate the individual effect of RS, defects, and microstructure on fatigue life. To this aim Ti-6Al-4V LPBF material in as-built condition and subjected to different post-processing, including two heat treatments (for stress relief and microstructural modification) and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP, for densification), were investigated.
Prior to Low Cycle Fatigue (LCF) tests at operating temperature (300°C), the microstructure (phases, crystallographic texture, and grain morphology), the mesostructure (defect shape and distribution), and subsurface RS on the LCF samples were investigated. It was found that the fatigue performance of HIPped samples is similar to that of conventionally produced Ti-6Al-4V. The tensile RS found at the surface of as-built samples decreased the fatigue life compared to heat-treated samples. Additionally, the modification of the microstructure (by heat treatment) did not affect the fatigue performance in the regime of mostly elastic strain. This shows that in the absence of tensile RS the manufacturing defects solely control the failure of LPBF components and densification has the strongest effect on the improvement of the mechanical performance.
This paper investigates fast and inexpensive measurement methods for defect detection in parts produced by Additive Manufacturing (AM) with special focus on lattice parts made of ceramics. By Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing, parts were built both without defects and with typical defects intentionally introduced. These defects were investigated and confirmed by industrial X-ray Computed Tomography. Alternative inexpensive methods were applied afterwards on the parts such as weighing, volume determination by Archimedes method and gas permeability measurement. The results showed, that defects resulting in around 20% of change in volume and mass could be separated from parts free of defects by determination of mass or volume. Minor defects were not detectable as they were in the range of process-related fluctuations. Permeability measurement did not allow to safely identify parts with defects. The measurement methods investigated can be easily integrated in AM process chains to support quality control.
The effect of two types of scanning strategies on the grain structure and build-up of Residual Stress (RS) has been investigated in an as-built IN718 alloy produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The RS state has been investigated by X-ray diffraction techniques. The microstructural characterization was performed principally by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), where the application of a post-measurement refinement technique enables small misorientations (< 2°) to be resolved. Kernel average misorientation (KAM) distributions indicate that preferably oriented columnar grains contain higher levels of misorientation, when compared to elongated grains with lower texture. The KAM distributions combined with X-ray diffraction stress maps infer that the increased misorientation is induced via plastic deformation driven by the thermal stresses, acting to self-relieve stress. The possibility of obtaining lower RS states in the build direction as a consequence of the influence of the microstructure should be considered when envisaging scanning strategies aimed at the mitigation of RS.
The understanding of process-microstructure-property-performance (PMPP) relationships in additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is highly necessary to achieve wide-spread industrial application and replace conventionally manufactured parts, especially regarding safety-relevant applications. To achieve this understanding, reliable data and knowledge regarding material’s microstructure-property relationships (e.g. the role of defects) is needed, since it represents the base for future more targeted process optimizations and more reliable calculations of performance. However, producing reliable material data and assessing the AM material behaviour is not an easy task: big challenges are e.g. the actual lack of standard testing methods for AM materials and the occasional difficulties in finding one-to-one comparable material data for the conventional counterpart.
This work aims to contribute to end this lack of reliable material data and knowledge for the low cycle fatigue behaviour of the most used titanium alloy in aerospace applications (Ti-6Al-4V). For this purpose, two sets of test specimens were investigated. The first set was manufactured from cylindrical rods produced by an optimized DED-L process and the second was manufactured from a hot formed round bar. The test specimens were cyclically loaded until failure in the low-cycle-fatigue (LCF) regime. The tests were carried out according to ISO 12106 between 0.3 to 1.0 % axial strain amplitude from room temperature up to 400°C. The LCF behaviour is described and compared between materials and with literature values based on cyclic deformation curves and strain-based fatigue life curves. Besides, the parameters of Manson-Coffin-Basquin relationship were calculated. The microstructures (initial and after failure) and fracture surfaces were comparative characterized. Thereby, the focus lied on understanding the role of grain morphology and defects on the failure mechanisms and fatigue lifetimes. For this latter characterization, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro computed tomography (µCT) were used.
The wet processing of regolith simulant for clay in situ resource utilization (ISRU) on Mars is presented. The two raw materials from the Mars global simulant family, one without clay (MGS-1) and one with clay - sodium montmorillonite smectite - (MGS-1C) were milled and mixed to produce a simulant with small particle size and reduced clay content (MGS-1C/8). All three simulants and the pure clay raw material were extensively characterized using XRF, synchrotron XRD, gas adsorption and gas pycnometry methods. In a straightforward processing approach, MGS-1C/8 was mixed with water and different dispersant approaches were investigated, all of which gave stable slurries. Particle size distribution, rheology, ion concentration, pH and electrical conductivity of these slurries were characterized. The slurry systems can easily be adapted to fit all typical ceramic shaping routes and here parts of varying complexity from slip casting, throwing on a potter's wheel and additive manufacturing, including material extrusion (robocasting) and binder jetting (powder bed 3D printing) were produced.
The unique properties of the sodium montmorillonite clay, which is readily accessible in conjunction with magnesium sulfate on the Martian surface, acted as a natural nanosized binder and produced high strength green bodies (unfired ceramic body) with compressive strength from 3.3 to 7.5 MPa. The most elaborate additive manufacturing technique layerwise slurry deposition (LSD) produced water-resistant green bodies with a compressive strength of 30.8 ± 2.5 MPa by employing a polymeric binder, which is similar or higher than the strength of standard concrete. The unfired green bodies show sufficient strength to be used for remote Habitat building on Mars using additive manufacturing without humans being present.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2019)
This work aims for an yield function description of additively manufactured (AM) parts of S316L steel at the continuum-mechanical macro-scale by means of so-called virtual experiments using a crystal plasticity (CP) model at meso-scale. Additively manufactured parts require the consideration of the specific process-related microstructure, which prevents this material to be macroscopically treated as isotropic, because of crystallographic as well as topological textures.
EBSD/CT-Scans from in-house additively manufactured specimen extract the unique microstructural topology which is converted to a representative volume element (RVE) with grain structure and crystal orientations.
Crystal plasticity model parameters on this RVE are calibrated and validated by means of mechanical testing under different texture angles. From virtual experiments on this RVE, yield loci under various loading conditions are simulated. The scale bridging from meso- to macro-scale is realised by the identification of the simulated yield loci as a modified anisotropic Barlat-type yield model representation.
As humanity contemplates manned missions to Mars, strategies need to be developed for the design and operation of hospitable environments to safely work in space for years. The supply of spare parts for repair and replacement of lost equipment will be one key need, but in-space manufacturing remains the only option for a timely supply. With high flexibility in design and the ability to manufacture ready-to-use components directly from a computeraided model, additive manufacturing (AM) technologies appear extremely attractive. For the manufacturing of metal parts, laser-beam melting is the most widely used AM process. However, the handling of metal powders in the absence of gravity is one prerequisite for its successful application in space. A gas flow throughout the powder bed is successfully applied to compensate for missing gravitational forces in microgravity experiments. This so-called gas-flow-assisted powder deposition is based on a porous Building platform acting as a filter for the fixation of metal particles in a gas flow driven by a pressure difference maintained by a vacuum pump.
Additive manufacturing of alkali-activated materials currently attracts a lot of attention, because of the possibility to produce customized high-performance elements for a range of applications, potentially being more resource-efficient than conventionally produced parts. Here, we describe a new additive manufacturing process for alkali-activated materials that is based on selective laser-heating of lithium aluminate/microsilica slurries. The new process-material combination allows to manufacture elements with complex geometries at high building rates and high accuracy. The process is versatile and transferrable to structures of sizes differing by orders of magnitude. The mechanical strength of the obtained materials was in the range of values reported for conventional metakaolin-based geopolymers, and superior to what has been hitherto reported for alkali-activated materials produced by additive manufacturing. This mechanical performance was obtained despite the fact that the degree of reaction of the lithium aluminate and the microsilica was low, suggesting that significant reactions took place only at the surface of the microsilica particles.
The project ProMoAM is presented. The goal of the project is to evaluate which NDT techniques or combination of techniques is suited for in-situ quality assurance in additive manufacturing of metals. To this end, also 3d-data fusion and visualization techniques are applied. Additional ex-situ NDT-techniques are used as references for defect detection and quantification. Feasability studies for NDT-techniques that are presently not applicable for in-situ use are performed as well.
The presentation gives a brief overview of the whole project and the different involved NDT-techniques.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2019)
This work aims for a yield function description of additively manufactured parts of S316L steel at the continuum-mechanical macro-scale by means of so-called virtual experiments using a crystal plasticity (CP) model at meso-scale. Additively manufactured parts require the consideration of the specific process-related microstructure, which prevents this material to be macroscopically treated as isotropic, because of crystallographic as well as topological textures. From virtual experiments, yield loci under various loading conditions are simulated. The scale bridging from meso- to macro-scale is realised by the identification of the simulated yield loci as a modified anisotropic Barlat-type yield model representation.
For the additive manufacturing of large components typically powder-based methods are used. A powder is deposited layer by layer by means of a recoater, then, the component structure is printed into each individual layer. We introduce here the new method of local laser drying, which is a suspension-based method specially developed for the manufacturing of large voluminous ceramic parts. The structure information is directly written into the freshly deposited layer of suspension by laser drying. Initially, the technology was developed for ceramic suspensions, however, first experiments with geopolymers reveal a high potential for this class of materials. Metakaolin, fly ash and lithium aluminate-based one-part geopolymers were used in first experiments. The local annealing of the geopolymer slurry results in a drying and crosslinking reaction and, thus, in a local consolidation of the material. First parts made are introduced and their properties are discussed.
Due to the advantages of additive manufacturing (AM), it has been increasingly integrated into many industrial sectors.
The application of AM materials for safety-critical parts requires the detailed knowledge about their microstructure stability under thermo-mechanical or mechanical load and knowledge on ageing process mechanisms. Ageing processes are characterized by change of the material microstructure that is to be initially investigated. This work deals with the Investigation of 316L stainless steel manufactured by selective laser melting (SLM). Describing Parameters must be defined and applied on the microstructure of these materials in their initial state and after loads were applied. The findings of this work form the basis for the investigation of AM material ageing.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2018)
This work presents a method for the yield function determination of additively manufactured parts of S316L steel. A crystal plasticity model is calibrated with test results and used afterwards to perform so-called virtual experiments, that account for the specific process-related microstructure including crystallographic and morphological textures. These simulations are undertaken on a representative volume element (RVE), that is generated from EBSD/CT-Scans on in-house additively manufactured specimen, considering grain structure and crystal orientations. The results of the virtual experiments are used to determine an anisotropic Barlat yield function, that can be used in a macroscopical continuum-sense afterwards. This scale-bridging approach enables the calculation of large-scale parts, that would be numerically too expensive to be simulated by a crystal plasticity model.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by Selective Laser Melting was studied by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction.
Two deposition hatch lengths were considered. A horizontal plane near the top surface (perpendicular to the building direction) and a vertical plane near the lateral surface (parallel to the building direction) were investigated. Samples both in as-built (AB) condition and removed (RE) from the base plate were characterized.
While surface stress fields seem constant for AB condition, X-ray diffraction shows stress gradients along the hatch direction in the RE condition. The stress profiles correlate with the distortion maps obtained by tactile probe measurements.
Neutron diffraction shows bulk stress gradients for all principal components along the main sample directions. We correlate the observed stress patterns with the hatch length, i.e. with its effect on temperature gradients and heat flow. The bulk stress gradients partially disappear after removal from the baseplate.
Virtual-lab-based determination of a macroscopic yield function for additively manufactured parts
(2018)
This work presents a method for the yield function determination of additively manufactured parts of S316L steel. A crystal plasticity model is calibrated with test results and used afterwards to perform so-called virtual experiments, that account for the specific process-related microstructure including crystallographic and morphological textures. These simulations are undertaken on a representative volume element (RVE), that is generated from EBSD/CT-Scans on in-house additively manufactured specimen, considering grain structure and crystal orientations. The results of the virtual experiments are used to determine an anisotropic Barlat yield function, that can be used in a macroscopical continuum-sense afterwards. This scale-bridging approach enables the calculation of large-scale parts, that would be numerically too expensive to be simulated by a crystal plasticity model.
Most additive manufacturing processes which produce dense ceramics are nowadays limited in size because of inevitable post-processing steps like for example binder removal in stereolithography. The additive manufacturing of voluminous ceramic parts is realized by powder bed based processes which, however, generate parts with residual porosity. Via infiltration these parts can be processed to dense parts like for example SiC but this is not possible for all ceramics like for example Si3N4. There is a lack of methods for the additive manufacturing of dense voluminous parts for most ceramics.
We have developed a new additive manufacturing technology, the Laser Induced Slip casting (LIS), based on the layerwise deposition of slurries and their local drying by laser radiation. Laser Induced Slip casting generates ceramic green bodies which can be sintered to dense ceramic components like traditional formed ceramic powder compacts. We will introduce the LIS technology, green bodies and sintered parts will be shown and their microstructure and mechanical properties will be discussed.
Having been introduced almost two decades ago, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
The absolute values of all stress components decreased after removal from the build plate. Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion. Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component depending on the thermal gradient in the respective direction.
Having been introduced almost two decades ago, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
The absolute values of all stress components decreased after removal from the build plate. Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion. Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component depending on the thermal gradient in the respective direction.
Wollastonite (CaSiO 3 ) – diopside (CaMgSi 2 O 6 ) glass-ceramic scaffolds have been successfully fabricated using two different additive manufacturing techniques: powder-based 3D printing (3DP) and digital light processing (DLP), coupled with the sinter-crystallization of glass powders with two different compositions. The adopted manufacturing process depended on the balance between viscous flow sintering and crystallization of the glass particles, in turn in fluenced by the powder size and the sensitivity of CaO – MgO – SiO 2 glasses to surface nucleation. 3DP used coarser glass powders and was more appropriate for low temperature firing (800 – 900 °C), leading to samples with limited crystallization. On the contrary, DLP used finer glass powders, leading to highly crystallized glass-ceramic samples. Despite the differences in manufacturing technology and crystallization, all samples featured very good strength-to-density ratios, which bene fit theiruse for bone tissue engineering applications. The bioactivity of 3D-printed glass-ceramics after immersion in simulated body fluid and the similarities, in terms of ionic releases and hydroxyapatite formation with already validated bioactive glass-ceramics, were preliminarily assessed.
The influence of the support structure on residual stress and distortion in SLM Inconel 718 parts
(2018)
The effect of support structure and of removal from the base plate on the residual stress state in selective laser melted IN718 parts was studied by means of synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The residual stresses in subsurface region of two elongated prisms in as-built condition and after removal from the base plate were determined. One sample was directly built on a base plate and another one on a support structure. Also, the distortion on the top surface due to stress release was measured by contact profilometry. High tensile residual stress values were found, with pronounced stress gradient along the hatching direction. In the sample on support, stress redistribution took place after removal from the base plate, as opposed to simple stress relaxation for the sample without support. The sample on support structure showed larger distortion compared to sample without support. We conclude that the use of a support decreases stress values but stress-relieving heat treatments are still needed.
Influence of deposition hatch length on residual stress in selective laser melted Inconel 718
(2018)
The present study aims to evaluate the bulk residual stresses in SLM parts by using neutron diffraction measurements performed at E3 line -BER II neutron reactor- of Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie (HZB) Berlin. Together with microstructure characterization and distortion measurements, it is possible to describe the stress state throughout the whole sample. The sample was measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after releasing from the build plate. The used material is the nickel based superalloy 718. This alloy is widely used in aerospace and chemical industries due to its superior corrosion and heat resistant properties.
Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component. The normal and transversal component exhibits a rather compressive behavior while the longitudinal was tensile in the center part of the sample and became compressive towards the tip. As expected, the absolute values of all stress components decreased after releasing the sample from the building plate. A surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM) allowed us to present top surface distortion before and after releasing. The top surface showed a distortion around ±80µm after releasing. Microstructure evolution in the scanning-building cross-section is largely dominated by columnar grains. In addition, many small random orientated grains are prominent in the regions of a laser overlap during SLM.
In summary, for the sample of superalloy 718 manufactured by SLM, a small distortion occurred when removing the sample from the build plate whereby the residual stress state decreases. Moreover, the observed columnar grains in the building direction could give a reason for the lowest stress values in that normal direction. However, the most important parameter controlling the residual stresses is the temperature gradient. Hence, future investigations are planned for a different scan strategy to distribute the laser impact in a more homogenous manner.
Influence of support configurations on the characteristics of selective laser-melted Inconel 718
(2018)
Samples fabricated using two different support configurations by following identical scan strategies during selective laser melting of superalloy Inconel 718 were characterized in this study. Characterization methods included optical microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction and x-ray diffraction residual stress measurement. For the scan strategy considered, microstructure and residual stress development in the samples were influenced by the support structures. However, crystallographic texture intensity and the texture components formed within the core part of the samples were almost independent of the support. The formation of finer grains closer to the support as well as within the columnar grain boundaries resulted in randomization and texture intensity reduction by nearly half for the sample built on a lattice support. Heat transfer rates dictated by the support configurations in addition to the scan strategy influenced the microstructure and residual stress development in selective laser-melted Inconel 718 samples.