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The integration of additive manufacturing with traditional processes, termed hybrid additive manufacturing, has expanded its application domain, particularly in the repair of gas turbine blade tips. However, process-related defects in additively manufactured materials, interface formation, and material property mismatches in dual-material structures can significantly impact the fatigue performance of components. This investigation examines the low cycle fatigue and fatigue crack growth behaviors in dual-material specimens of nickel-based alloys, specifically the additively manufactured STAL15 and the cast alloy 247DS, at elevated temperatures. Low cycle fatigue experiments were conducted at temperatures of 950 °C and 1000 °C under a range of strain levels (0.3%–0.8%) and fatigue crack growth tests were conducted at 950 °C with stress ratios of 0.1 and −1. Fractographic and microscopic analyses were performed to comprehend fatigue crack initiation and crack growth mechanisms in the dual-material structure. The results consistently indicated crack initiation and fatigue fracture in the additively manufactured STAL15 material. Notably, fatigue crack growth retardation was observed near the interface when the crack extended from the additively manufactured STAL15 material to the perpendicularly positioned interface. This study highlights the importance of considering yield strength mismatch, as well as the potential effects of residual stresses and grain structure differences, in the interpretation of fatigue crack growth behavior at the interface.
Additive manufacturing techniques, such as laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB), are well known for their exceptional freedom in part design. However, these techniques are also characterized by the development of large thermal gradients during production and thus residual stress (RS) formation in produced parts. In this context, neutron diffraction enables the non-destructive characterization of the bulk RS distribution. By control of the thermal gradients in the powder-bed plane by scan strategy variation we study the impact of in-process scan strategy variations on the microstructure and the three-dimensional distribution of RS. Microstructural analysis by means of electron backscatter diffraction reveals sharp microstructure transitions at the interfaces ranging from 100-200 µm. The components of the RS tensor are determined by means of neutron diffraction and the principal stress directions and magnitudes are determined by eigenvalue decomposition. We find that the distribution of RS in the powder-bed plane corresponds to the underlying scan strategy. When the alternating scan vectors align with the x- and y sample coordinate axes, the principal stress directions co-align. In the present geometry, nearly transverse isotropic stress states develop when the scan vectors are either aligned 45° between x and y or continuously rotated by 67° between each layer.
Additive manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D printing) of metals is becoming increasingly important in industrial applications. Reasons for this include the ability to realize complex component designs and the use of novel materials. This distinguishes AM from conventional manufacturing methods such as subtractive manufacturing (turning, milling, etc.). The most widely used AM process for metals is laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M, also known as selective laser melting SLM). Currently, it has the highest degree of industrialization and the largest number of machines in use. In PBF-LB/M, the feedstock is present as metal powder in an inert gas atmosphere inside a process chamber where a laser melts it locally. By repeatedly lowering the build platform, applying a new layer of powder, and then selectively melting it with the laser, a component is built up layer by layer. The local temperature distributions that occur during this process determine not only the properties of the finished component, but also the possible formation of defects such as pores and cracks. Due to the high relevance of the thermal history for precise geometries and defect formation, a temporally and spatially resolved measurement of quantitative (or real/actual) temperatures would be optimal. Quantitative values would ensure comparability and repeatability of the AM process which would also positively affect the quality and safety of the manufactured component. Furthermore, it would also contribute to the validation of simulations and to a deeper understanding of the manufacturing process itself.
At present, however, only qualitative monitoring of the thermal radiation is performed (e.g., by monitoring the melt pool using a photodiode), and safety-relevant components must be inspected ex situ afterwards which is time-consuming and costly. A reason for the lack of quantitative temperature data from the process are the challenging conditions of the PBF-LB/M process with high scanning speeds and a small laser spot diameter. Furthermore, the emissivity of the surface changes at high dynamics (temporally/spatially) as well as with temperature and wavelength. This specifically makes contactless temperature determination based on emitted infrared radiation challenging for PBF-LB/M. Although classical thermography offers very good qualitative insights, it is not sufficient for a reliable quantitative temperature determination without a complex temperature calibration including image segmentation and assignment of previously determined emissivities.
For this reason, this publication presents the hyperspectral thermography approach for the PBF-LB/M process: The emitted infrared radiation is measured simultaneously at many adjacent wavelengths. In this study, this is realized via a fast hyperspectral line camera that operates in the short-wave infrared range. The thermal radiation of a line on the target is spectrally dispersed and detected to measure the radiant exitance along that line. If the melt pool of the PBF-LB/M process moves through this line at a sufficient frame rate, a spatial reconstruction of an effective melt pool is possible.
One approach to determine the desired emissivities and the quantitative temperature from this hyperspectral data are temperature-emissivity separation (TES) methods. A major problem is that n spectral measurements are available, but n+1 parameters are required for each image pixel (n emissivity values + one temperature value). TES methods offer the possibility to approximate this mathematically underconstrained problem in a reliable and traceable way by analytically parameterizing the spectral emissivity with a few degrees of freedom. Using this approach, setup and method are applied to a research machine for PBF-LB/M, called SAMMIE (Sensor-based Additive Manufacturing Machine). First results under AM process conditions are shown which form the basis for the determination of quantitative temperatures in the PBFLB/M process. This marks an important contribution to improving the comparability and repeatability of production, validating simulations, and understanding the process itself. When fully developed and validated, the presented method can also provide reference measurements to evaluate and optimize other, more practical monitoring methods, such as melt pool monitoring or optical tomography. In the long run, this will help to increase confidence in the safety of AM products.
Defects are still common in metal components built with Additive Manufacturing (AM). Process monitoring methods for laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are used in industry, but relationships between monitoring data and defect formation are not fully understood yet. Additionally, defects and deformations may develop with a time delay to the laser energy input. Thus, currently, the component quality is only determinable after the finished process.
Here, active laser thermography, a nondestructive testing method, is adapted to PBF-LB/M, using the defocused process laser as heat source. The testing can be performed layer by layer throughout the manufacturing process. We study our proposed testing method along experiments carried out on a custom research PBF-LB/M machine using infrared (IR) cameras.
Our work enables a shift from post-process testing of components towards in-situ testing during the AM process. The actual component quality is evaluated in the process chamber and defects can be detected between layers.
Additive manufacturing is one of the most promising techniques for industrial production and maintenance, but the specifics of the layered structure must be considered. The Direct Energy Deposition-Arc process enables relatively high deposition rates, which is favourable for larger components. For this study, specimens with different orientations were prepared from one AISI316 steel block – parallel and orthogonal to the deposition plane. Quasistatic tensile loading tests were carried out, monitored by an infrared camera. The obtained surface temperature maps revealed structural differences between both orientations. The consideration of surface temperature transients yields more details about the behaviour of the material under tensile loading than the conventional stress-strain-curve. These preliminary investigations were supplemented by thermographic fatigue trials. Although the anisotropy was also observed during fatigue loading the fatigue behaviour in general was the same, at least for both inspected specimens. The presented results demonstrate the abilities and the potential of thermographic techniques for tensile tests.
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) is a layer wise metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology, which enables significant advancements of component design, leading to potential efficiency and performance improvements. However, the thermal cycles inherent to the process comprising large localized thermal gradients and repeated melting and solidification cycles leads to the generation of high magnitude residual stresses. These residual stresses can be detrimental both during manufacturing of components and in subsequent application. Therefore, a deep understanding of the influence of process parameters on the residual stresses are crucial for efficient manufacturing and safe application. The experimental characterization of these residual stresses is therefore crucial and can provide a reliable baseline for simulations of both the process and applications.
Diffraction-based methods for residual stress analysis using penetrating neutrons and high energy X-rays enable non-destructive spatially resolved characterization of both surface and bulk residual stresses. However, the unique microstructural features inherent to the process can challenge some of our assumptions when using these methods. These challenges include the determination of a stress-free reference, the use of correct elastic constants (both SCEC and DEC) and the influence of surface roughness, texture, and porosity on residual stresses.
This presentation will detail recent insights and recommendations for the characterization of residual stresses in a range of PBF-LB/M metallic alloys (Fe, Ni, Al and Ti)
The determination of residual stress in additively manufactured materials is a challenge, even after decades from the establishment of the basics of residual stress analysis. This is due to the peculiar microstructure of such materials. In fact, researchers have discovered that conventional methods for the determination of RS in materials do not properly work for AM materials. In this tutorial, the basics of RS analysis will be explained, together with the basics of AM manufacturing techniques. The microstructure of the peculiar materials (AM) dealt with here will be elucidated. Successively, the necessary modifications to the conventional approaches to RS analysis will be explained and case studies will be displayed, for the attendant to touch with hands the peculiarities of the approaches. Finally, a few experimental and theoretical tips will be given on dos and don’ts for a correct determination of RS in AM materials.
Due to the advantages of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB), i.e., design freedom and the possibility to manufacture parts with filigree structures, and the considerable amount of knowledge available for 316L in its conventional variant, the mechanical behavior, and related microstructure-property relationships of PBF-LB/316L are increasingly subject of research. However, many aspects regarding the - application-relevant - mechanical behavior at high temperatures are not yet fully understood. Here, we present the results of an experimental study on the LCF behavior of PBF-LB/316L featuring a low defect population, which makes this study more microstructure-focused than most of the studies in the literature. The LCF tests were performed between room temperature (RT) and 600 °C. The mechanical response is characterized by strain-life curves, and hysteresis and cyclic deformation curves. The damage and deformation mechanisms are studied with X-ray computed tomography, and optical and electron microscopy. The PBF-LB/M/316L was heat treated at 450 °C for 4 h, and a hot‑rolled (HR) 316L variant with a fully recrystallized equiaxed microstructure was tested as a reference. Besides, selected investigations were performed after a subsequent heat treatment at 900 °C for 1 h. The PBF-LB/316L exhibits higher cyclic stresses than HR/316L for most of the fatigue life, especially at room temperature. At the smallest strain amplitudes, the fatigue lives of PBF-LB/M/316L are markedly shorter than in HR/316L. The main damage mechanisms are multiple cracking at slip bands (RT) and intergranular cracking (600 °C). Neither the melt pool boundaries nor the gas porosity have a significant influence on the LCF damage mechanism. The cyclic stress-strain deformation behavior of PBF-LB/M/316L features an initial hardening followed by a continuous softening. The additional heat treatment at 900 °C for 1 h led to decreased cyclic stresses, and a longer fatigue life.
The determination of residual stress in additively manufactured materials is a challenge, even after decades from the establishment of the basics of residual stress analysis. This is due to the peculiar microstructure of such materials. In fact, researchers have discovered that conventional methods for the determination of RS in materials do not properly work for AM materials. In this tutorial, the basics of RS analysis will be explained, together with the basics of AM manufacturing techniques. The microstructure of the peculiar materials (AM) dealt with here will be elucidated. Successively, the necessary modifications to the conventional approaches to RS analysis will be explained and case studies will be displayed, for the attendant to touch with hands the peculiarities of the approaches. Finally, a few experimental and theoretical tips will be given on dos and don’ts for a correct determination of RS in AM materials.
The experimental determination of residual stress becomes more complicated with increasing complexity of the structures investigated. Unlike the conventional and most of the additive manufacturing (AM) fabrication techniques, laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) allows the production of complex structures without any additional manufacturing step. However, due to the extremely localized melting and solidification, internal stress-induced deformation and cracks are often observed. In the best case, significant residual stress is retained in the final structures as a footprint of the internal stress during manufacturing.
Here we report solutions to the most prevalent challenges when dealing with the diffraction-based determination of residual stress in AM structures, in particular the choice of the correct diffraction elastic constants. We show that for Nickel-based alloys, the diffraction elastic constants of AM material significantly deviate from their conventional counterparts. Furthermore, measurement strategies to overcome the hurdles appearing when applying diffraction-based techniques to complex-shaped lattice structures are presented: a) proper sample alignment within the beam, b) the proper determination of the residual stress field in a representative part of the structure (i.e., with an engineering meaning). Beyond the principal stress magnitude, the principal direcions of residual stress are discussed for different geometries and scan strategies, as they are relevent for failure criteria.
We show that the RS in the lattice struts can be considered to be uniaxial and to follow the orientation of the strut, while the RS in the lattice knots is more hydrostatic. Additionally, we show that strain measurements in at least seven independent directions are necessary for the correct estimation of the principal stress directions. The measurement directions should be chosen according to the sample geometry and to an informed choice on the possible strain field (i.e., reflecting the scan strategy).
We finally show that if the most prominent direction is not measured, the error in the calculated stress magnitude increases in such a manner that no reliable assessment of RS state can be made.
The determination of residual stress in additively manufactured materials is a challenge, even after decades from the establishment of the basics of residual stress analysis. This is due to the peculiar microstructure of such materials. In fact, researchers have discovered that conventional methods for the determination of RS in materials do not properly work for AM materials. In this tutorial, the basics of RS analysis will be explained, together with the basics of AM manufacturing techniques. The microstructure of the peculiar materials (AM) dealt with here will be elucidated. Successively, the necessary modifications to the conventional approaches to RS analysis will be explained and case studies will be displayed, for the attendant to touch with hands the peculiarities of the approaches. Finally, a few experimental and theoretical tips will be given on dos and don’ts for a correct determination of RS in AM materials.
Additively manufactured components are characterized by heterogeneous mechanical properties due to variations of the microstructure, flaws and residual stresses resulting from the inhomogeneous fabrication process. The large number of influencing factors poses a further challenge in understanding the correlation between material properties, process parameters and component geometry. Therefore, the qualification of components based on witness specimens produced within the same job is questionable. This work aims to present a new strategy for the characterization of PBF-LB/M components based on representative specimens. The key assumption is the feasibility of a transfer of the thermal history from a component to a specimen. It is assumed that similar material properties are determined for components and specimens produced adopting a similar thermal history. After the definition of a region of interest in the component, a combination of thermal analyses by means of finite elements and in-situ experimental determination of the thermal history through infrared thermography is used to produce test coupons with a similar thermal history. The effectiveness of the procedure is demonstrated on a pressure vessel for applications in the chemical industry.
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
The general term additive manufacturing (AM) encompasses processes that enable the production of parts in a single manufacturing step. Among these, laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) is one of the most commonly used to produce metal components. In essence, a laser locally melts powder particles in a powder bed layer-by-layer to incrementally build a part. As a result, this process offers immense manufacturing flexibility and superior geometric design capabilities compared to conventional processes. However, these advantages come at a cost: the localized processing inevitably induces large thermal gradients, resulting in the formation of large thermal stress during manufacturing. In the best case, residual stress remains in the final parts produced as a footprint of this thermal stress. Since residual stress is well known to exacerbate the structural integrity of components, their assessment is important in two respects. First, to optimize process parameter to minimize residual stress magnitudes. Second, to study their effect on the structural integrity of components (e.g., validation of numerical models). Therefore, a reliable experimental assessment of residual stress is an important factor for the successful application of PBF-LB. In this context, diffraction-based techniques allow the non-destructive characterization of the residual stress. In essence, lattice strain is calculated from interplanar distances by application of Braggs law. From the known lattice strain, macroscopic stress can be determined using Hooke’s law. To allow the accurate assessment of the residual stress distribution by such methods, a couple of challenges in regard of the characteristic PBF-LB microstructures need to be overcome.
This presentation highlights some of the challenges regarding the accurate assessment of residual stress in PBF-LB on the example of the Nickel-based alloy Inconel 718. The most significant influencing factors are the use of the correct diffraction elastic constants, the choice of the stress-free reference, and the consideration of the crystallographic texture. Further, it is shown that laboratory X-ray diffraction methods characterizing residual stress at the surface are biased by the inherent surface roughness. Overall, the impact of the characteristic microstructure is most significant for the selection of the correct diffraction elastic constants. In view of the localized melting and solidification, no significant gradients of the stress-free reference are observed, even though the cell-like solidification sub-structure is known to be heterogeneous on the micro-scale.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer-wise additive manufacturing process that provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of a diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative lattice plane suitable for residual stress analysis. In this contribution, the selection of a suitable lattice plane family for residual stress analysis is explored. Furthermore, the determination of an appropriate set of diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure is addressed.
In-situ loading experiments have been performed at the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source with the main scope to study the deformation behaviour of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718. Cylindrical tensile bars have been subjected to an increasing mechanical load. At pre-defined steps, neutron diffraction data has been collected. After reaching the yield limit, unloads have been performed to study the accumulation of intergranular strain among various lattice plane families.
Development of representative test specimens by thermal history transfer in laser powder bed fusion
(2024)
The use of components manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (PBF LB/M) and subjected to fatigue loading is still hampered by the uncertainty about the homogeneity of the process results. Numerous influencing factors including the component’s geometry contribute to the risk of process instability and resulting inhomogeneity of properties. This drastically limits the comparability of different built parts and requires expensive full component testing. The thermal history as the spatiotemporal temperature distribution has been identified as a major cause for flaw formation. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that a similar thermal history between components and test specimens enhances their comparability. Following this assumption, a strategy is developed to transfer the intrinsic preheating temperature as a measure of comparability of thermal histories from a region of interest of a complex component to a simple test specimen. This transfer concept has been successfully proved by the use of FEM-based macroscale thermal simulations, validated by calibrated infrared thermography. An adoption of the specimen manufacturing process by the adjustment of the inter layer times was established to manufacture specimens which are representatives of a specific region of a large-scale component in terms of the thermal history similarity criterion. The concept is schematically illustrated in Figure 1 and was demonstrated using a pressure vessel geometry from the chemical industry.
Direct energy deposition additive manufacturing technologies that utilize an electric arc have great potential for generating large volume metal components. However, selecting process parameters that yield the desired near net shape design and requested mechanical component behavior is not a trivial task due to the complex relationship between all process parameters and material characteristics. This presentation exemplifies the application of a newly developed solid welding wire doped with TiB to enhance grain refinement in the deposited metal for additive manufacturing based on DED-Arc of high-strength precipitation hardening AlMgSi-aluminum alloys. It is worth noting that the solid wire is the result of our preliminary metallurgical studies on grain refinement in aluminum weld metal.
Consequently, research focuses on the correlation between process parameters and component quality to understand the underlying mechanisms. This is crucial for evaluating a robust process parameter space that yields component quality in line with corresponding standards which are mainly taken from welding technology.
Specifically, we examine component quality by analyzing pore size and distribution, as well as grain morphology. To enhance the mechanical properties of the deposited metal, a post-weld heat treatment was conducted, comprising of solution treatment, quenching, and artificial aging. The study also evaluates the effects of various heat treatment strategies on the final mechanical properties of the material.
To demonstrate the applicability of 3D metal printing of high-strength aluminium alloys, a more complex demonstrator was created. It has been shown that DED-Arc can produce high-volume aluminium parts with the same quality as the corresponding subtractive processing strategy.
Additionally, the entire additive manufacturing chain has been digitally integrated, enabling traceability of all relevant process steps, which is essential for reliable subsequent quality assessment.
For a deep process understanding of the laser powder bed fusion process (PBF-LB/M), recording of the occurring surface temperatures is of utmost interest and would help to pave the way for reliable process monitoring and quality assurance. A notable number of approaches for in-process monitoring of the PBF-LB/M process focus on the monitoring of thermal process signatures. However, due to the elaborate calibration effort and the lack of knowledge about the occurring spectral directional emissivity, only a few approaches attempt to measure real temperatures. In this study, to gain initial insights into occurring in the PBF-LB/M process, measurements on PBF-LB/M specimens and metal powder specimens were performed for higher temperatures up to T = 1290 °C by means of the emissivity measurement apparatus (EMMA) of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAE, Wuerzburg, Germany). Also, measurements at ambient temperatures were performed with a suitable measurement setup. Two different materials—stainless steel 316L and aluminum AlSi10Mg—were examined. The investigated wavelength λ ranges from the visible range (λ-VIS = 0.40–0.75 µm) up to the infrared, λ = 20 µm. The influence of the following factors were investigated: azimuth angle φ, specimen temperature TS, surface texture as for PBF-LB/M surfaces with different scan angles α, and powder surfaces with different layer thicknesses t.
For a deep process understanding of the laser powder bed fusion process (PBF-LB/M), recording of the occurring surface temperatures is of utmost interest and would help to pave the way for reliable process monitoring and quality assurance. A notable number of approaches for in-process monitoring of the PBF-LB/M process focus on the monitoring of thermal process signatures. However, due to the elaborate calibration effort and the lack of knowledge about the occurring spectral directional emissivity, only a few approaches attempt to measure real temperatures. In this study, to gain initial insights into occurring in the PBF-LB/M process, measurements on PBF-LB/M specimens and metal powder specimens were performed for higher temperatures up to T = 1290 °C by means of the emissivity measurement apparatus (EMMA) of the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAE, Wuerzburg, Germany). Also, measurements at ambient temperatures were performed with a suitable measurement setup. Two different materials—stainless steel 316L and aluminum AlSi10Mg—were examined. The investigated wavelength λ ranges from the visible range (λ-VIS= 0.40–0.75 µm) up to the infrared, λ = 20 µm. The influence of the following factors were investigated: azimuth angle φ, specimen temperature TS, surface texture as for PBF-LB/M surfaces with different scan angles α, and powder surfaces with different layer thicknesses t.
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.
In this presentation, the results of the determination of the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are presented. The analysis is based on high-energy synchrotron diffraction experiments performed at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron. It is shown that the characteristic microstructure of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 impacts the elastic anisotropy and therefore the diffraction and single-crystal elastic constants. Finally, the consequences on the diffraction-based residual stress determination of laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 are discussed.
AbstractIn this study, we compare the residual stress state in a laser powder bed fusion (PBF‐LB/M) AlSi10Mg alloy in the as‐built (AB) condition with that after two different heat treatments (265 °C for 1 h, HT1; and 300 °C for 2 h, HT2). The bulk residual stress (RS) is determined using synchrotron X‐ray diffraction (SXRD), and near‐surface profiles are determined using laboratory energy‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction (EDXRD). The EDXRD results do not reveal any notable difference between the conditions at a depth of 350 μm, suggesting that the machining process yields a comparable residual stress state in the near‐surface regions. On the other hand, the SXRD results show that HT1 is more effective in relieving the bulk RS. It is observed that HT1 reduces the RS state in both the aluminium matrix and the silicon network. In addtion, HT2 does not have a significant impact on relaxing the RS as‐built state of the matrix, although it does induce a reduction in the RS magnitudes of the Si phase. It is concluded that the heat treatment stress relieving is effective as long as the Si‐network is not disaggregated.
A new titanium alloy improving the operation of implants additively manufactured and including laterally closed lattice structures is proposed. The new alloy possesses an increased affinity to the bone. The measured bone–interface implant (BII) of less than 10 mm and bone–implant contact (BIC) of 95% demonstrated an excellent osseointegration. Furthermore, since additive manufacturing naturally leads to a high-roughness surface finish, the wettability of the implant is increased. The combination of these factors is pushing ossification beyond its natural limits. In addition, the quality and speed of the ossification and osseointegration in/around laterally closed lattice implants open the possibility of bone spline key of prostheses. This enables the stabilization of the implant into the bone while keeping the possibility of punctual hooks allowing the implant to be removed more easily if required.
Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam (PBF-LB) of high γ’ strengthened Ni-base superalloys, such as CM247LC, is of great interest for high temperature applications in gas turbines. However, PBF-LB of CM247LC is challenging due to the high cracking susceptibility during PBF-LB processing (solidification cracking) and heat treatment (strain age cracking, mostly caused by residual stresses). This study focuses on understanding the impact of process parameters on microstructure, residual stresses and solidification cracking. Laser power (P), speed (v) and hatch spacing (h) were varied while the layer thickness (t) was fixed. The melt pool size and shape were found to be key factors in minimizing solidification cracking. Narrower and shallower melt pools, achieved using a low line energy density (LED = P/v ≤ 0.1 J/mm), gave low crack densities (0.7 mm/mm2). A tight hatch spacing (h = 0.03 mm) resulted in reduced lack of fusion porosity. Electron backscatter diffraction investigations revealed that parameters giving finer microstructure with 〈100〉crystallographic texture had low crack densities provided they were processed with a low LED. Atom probe tomography elucidated early stages of spinodal decomposition in the as-built condition, where Cr and Al cluster separately. The extent of spinodal decomposition was found to be affected by the LED and the hatch spacing. Samples with low LED and small hatch spacing showed higher degrees of spinodal decomposition. X-ray diffraction residual stress investigations revealed that the residual stress is proportional to the volumetric energy density (VED = P/(v. h. t)). Although low residual stresses can be achieved by using low VED, there is a high risk of lack of fusion. Hence, other parameters such as modified scan strategy, build plate pre-heating and pulsed laser mode, must be further explored to minimize the residual stresses to reduce the strain age cracking susceptibility.
The overview of the activity of Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM, Belin, Germany) in the field material characterization by X-ray imaging is presented. The principle of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is explained. The multiple examples of application of quantitative analysis by XCT are reported, such as additive manufacturing, Li-ion battery, concrete research.
Currently, mandatory requirements and recommendations for the detection of irregularities in laser beam welded joints are based on classic micrographs as set out in the standard ISO 13919-1:2019. Compared to classic micrographs, computed tomography enables a non-destructive, three-dimensional and material-independent mode of operation, which delivers much more profound results. Even in building material testing, methods with limited informative value can be checked and supplemented by CT examinations.
Efficient density evolution during sintering of the as-printed component is vital to reach full densification and required properties of binder jet (BJT) components. However, due to the high porosity and brittle nature of the green compact, analysis of the microstructure development during sintering is very difficult, resulting in lack of understanding of the densification process. Density development from green state (57 ± 1.6 %) up to full density (99 ± 0.3 %) was characterized by high-resolution synchrotron X-Ray computed tomography (SXCT) on BJT 316L samples from ex-situ interrupted sintering tests. Periodicity of density fluctuations along the building direction was revealed for the first time and was related to the layer thickness of ~ 42 μm during printing that decreased down to ~ 33 μm during sintering. Sintering simulations, utilizing a continuum sintering model developed for BJT, allowed to replicate the density evolution during sintering with a mean error of 2 % and its fluctuation evolution from green (1.66 %) to sintered (0.56 %) state. Additionally, simulation of extreme particle size segregation (1 μm to 130 μm) suggested that non-optimized printing could lead to undesirable density fluctuation amplitude rapid increase (~10 %) during sintering. This might trigger the nucleation of defects (e.g., layer delamination, cracking, or excessive residual porosity) during the sintering process.
Manufacturing austenitic stainless steels (ASSs) using additive manufacturing is of great interest for cryogenic applications. Here, the mechanical and microstructural responses of a 316L ASS built by laser powder bed fusion were revealed by performing in situ neutron diffraction tensile tests at the low-temperature range (from 373 to 10 K). The stacking fault energy almost linearly decreased from 29.2 ± 3.1 mJm⁻² at 373 K to 7.5 ± 1.7 mJm⁻² at 10 K, with a slope of 0.06 mJm⁻²K⁻¹, leading to the transition of the dominant deformation mechanism from strain-induced twinning to martensite formation. As a result, excellent combinations of strength and ductility were achieved at the low-temperature range.
Laser powder bed fusion of metallic components (PBF-LB/M) is gaining acceptance in industry. However, the high costs and lengthy qualification processes required for printed components create the need for more effective in-situ monitoring and testing methods. This article proposes multispectral Optical Tomography (OT) as a new approach for monitoring the PBF-LB/M process. Compared to other methods, OT is a low-cost process monitoring method that uses long-time exposure imaging to observe the build process. However, it lacks time resolution compared to expensive thermographic sensor systems. Monochromatic OT (1C-OT) is already commercially available and observes the building process layer-wise using a single wavelength window in the NIR range. Multispectral OT (nC-OT) utilizes a similar setup but can measure multiple wavelength ranges per location simultaneously. By comparing the classical 1C-OT and nC-OT approaches, this article examines the advantages of nC-OT (two channel OT and RGB-OT) in reducing the false positive rate for process deviations and approximating maximum temperatures for a better comparison between different build processes and materials. This could ultimately reduce costs and time for part qualification. The main goal of this contribution is to assess the advantages of nC-OT compared to 1C-OT for in-situ process monitoring of PBF-LB/M.
The European Commission has identified Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Materials as two of six Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). By fully utilizing these KETs, advanced and sustainable economies will be created. It is considered that Metrology is a key enabler for the advancement of these KETs. EURAMET, the association of metrology institutes in Europe, has strengthened the role of Metrology for these KETs by enabling the creation of a European Metrology Network for Advanced Manufacturing. The EMN is made up of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) from across Europe and was formally established in October 2021. The EMN aims to provide a high-level coordination of European metrology activities for the Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing community.
The EMN itself is organized in three sections representing the major stages of the manufacturing chain: 1) Advanced Materials, 2) Smart Manufacturing Systems, and 3) Manufactured Components & Products. The EMN for Advanced Manufacturing is engaging with stakeholders in the field of Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Materials (Large companies & SMEs, industry organisations, existing networks, and academia), as well as the wider metrology community (including TCs) to provide input for the preparation of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for Metrology for Advanced Manufacturing.
This presentation will describe the progress in the development of the SRA by the EMN for Advanced Manufacturing. The metrology challenges identified across the various key industrial sectors, which utilise Advanced Materials and Advanced Manufacturing will be presented.
The EMN for Advanced Manufacturing is supported by the project JNP 19NET01 AdvManuNet.
The European Commission has identified Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Materials as two of six Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). It is considered that Metrology is a key enabler for the advancement of these KETs. Consequently, EURAMET, the association of metrology institutes in Europe, has strengthened the role of Metrology for these KETs by enabling the creation of a European Metrology Network (EMN) for Advanced Manufacturing. The EMN is comprised of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) from across Europe and was formally established in October 2021. The aim of the EMN is to provide a high-level coordination of European metrology activities for the Advanced Manufacturing community.
The EMN itself is organized in three sections representing the major stages of the manufacturing chain: 1) Advanced Materials, 2) Smart Manufacturing Systems, and 3) Manufactured Components & Products. The EMN for Advanced Manufacturing is engaging with stakeholders in the field of Advanced Manufacturing (large companies & SMEs, industry organisations, existing networks, and academia), as well as the wider Metrology community, including Technical Committees, to provide input for the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on Metrology for Advanced Manufacturing.
This contribution will give an overview about the first version of the SRA prepared by the EMN for Advanced Manufacturing
Laser powder bed fusion is one of the most promising additive manufacturing techniques for printing complex-shaped metal components. However, the formation of subsurface porosity poses a significant risk to the service lifetime of the printed parts. In-situ monitoring offers the possibility to detect porosity already during manufacturing. Thereby, process feedback control or a manual process interruption to cut financial losses is enabled.
Short-wave infrared thermography can monitor the thermal history of manufactured parts which is closely connected to the probability of porosity formation. Artificial intelligence methods are increasingly used for porosity prediction from the obtained large amounts of complex monitoring data. In this study, we aim to identify the potential and the challenges of deep-learning-assisted porosity prediction based on thermographic in-situ monitoring.
Therefore, the porosity prediction task is studied in detail using an exemplary dataset from the manufacturing of two Haynes282 cuboid components. Our trained 1D convolutional neural network model shows high performance (R2 score of 0.90) for the prediction of local porosity in discrete sub-volumes with dimensions of (700 x 700 x 40) μm³.
It could be demonstrated that the regressor correctly predicts layer-wise porosity changes but presumably has limited capability to predict differences in local porosity. Furthermore, there is a need to study the significance of the used thermogram feature inputs to streamline the model and to adjust the monitoring hardware. Moreover, we identified multiple sources of data uncertainty resulting from the in-situ monitoring setup, the registration with the ground truth X-ray-computed tomography data and the used pre-processing workflow that might influence the model’s performance detrimentally.
Residual stresses Analysis in Additively Manufactured alloys using neutron diffraction (L-PBF)
(2023)
An overview of recent progress at BAM of residual stress analysis in additively manufactured, in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion of metallics materials, using neutron diffraction will be presented. This will cover important topics of the stress-free reference, the diffraction elastic moduli and principal stress determination.
The European Commission has identified Advanced Manufacturing and Advanced Materials as two of six Key Enabling Technologies (KETs). It is considered that Metrology is a key enabler for the advancement of these KETs. Consequently, EURAMET, the association of metrology institutes in Europe, has strengthened the role of Metrology for these KETs by enabling the creation of a European Metrology Network (EMN) for Advanced Manufacturing. The EMN is comprised of National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Designated Institutes (DIs) from across Europe and was formally established in October 2021. The aim of the EMN is to provide a high-level coordination of European metrology activities for the Advanced Manufacturing community.
The EMN itself is organized in three sections representing the major stages of the manufacturing chain: 1) Advanced Materials, 2) Smart Manufacturing Systems, and 3) Manufactured Components & Products. The EMN for Advanced Manufacturing is engaging with stakeholders in the field of Advanced Manufacturing (large companies & SMEs, industry organisations, existing networks, and academia), as well as the wider Metrology community, including Technical Committees, to provide input for the Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) on Metrology for Advanced Manufacturing.
This contribution will give an overview about the first version of the SRA prepared by the EMN for Advanced Manufacturing.
Structural alloys are largely employed in key industrial sectors and their demand is predicted to rise rapidly for the next decades. Most of these materials require a large amount of energy for extraction and manufacturing, which causes the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. Therefore, strategies for improving the sustainability of structural metallic alloys are urgently needed.
Additive Manufacturing (AM), in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M), aims to be a sustainable manufacturing process, as it allows the build-up of complex geometry in near net-shape from 3D models, while minimizing material waste and the energy required for the process and post-process treatments.
Nevertheless, the application of additively manufactured parts in structural safety-relevant applications is still hindered by the poor fatigue performance. The cause of this has been mainly attributed to the presence of manufacturing defects and surface roughness. Therefore, a huge effort has been made to optimize the process parameters and to introduce post-process treatments to minimize the defect content. However, material flaws cannot be fully eliminated, but these can be considered in a damage tolerance framework for the prediction of the fatigue performance of additively manufactured metallic materials, which is essential for part design and qualification.
This work aims at presenting different modelling strategies for the prediction of the fatigue limit of AM metals. Simple empirical models and more complex models based on fatigue short crack propagation are proposed. The investigated material is an AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by PBF-LB/M and subjected to two different low-temperature heat-treatments (265°C for 1 h and 300°C for 2h). The results show that the models can provide good approximation of the fatigue limits and help in the interpretation of the scatter of fatigue data.
The overview of the activity of Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM, Belin, Germany) in the field of additively manufacturing material characterization will be presented. The research of our group is focused on the 3D imaging of AM materials by means of X-ray Computed Tomography at the lab and at synchrotron, and the residual stress characterization by diffraction (nondestructive technique). Also, two successful research project in collaboration with CAM2, Sweden are presented.
In the present study, in-situ observation of Hot Isostatic Pressure (HIP) procedure of laser powder bed fusion manufactured Ti-6Al-4V parts was performed to quantitatively estimate the densifcation rate of the material and the infuence of the defect initial size and shape on such rate. The observations were performed in-situ using the Ultrafast Tomography Paris-Edinburgh Cell and the combination of fast phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray tomography and energy dispersive difraction. With this strategy, we could quantify how the efectiveness of HIP depends on the characteristics of a defect. Smaller defects showed a higher densifcation rate, while the defect shape did not have signifcant efect on such rate.
The capability to produce complexly and individually shaped metallic parts is one of the main advantages of the laser powder bed fusion (PBF LB/M) process. Development of material and machine specific process parameters is commonly based on results acquired from small cubic test coupons of about 10 mm edge length. Such cubes are usually used to conduct an optimization of process parameters to produce dense material. The parameters are then taken as the basis for the manufacturing of real part geometries. However, complex geometries go along with complex thermal histories during the manufacturing process, which can significantly differ from thermal conditions prevalent during the production of simply shaped test coupons. This may lead to unexpected and unpredicted local inhomogeneities of the microstructure and defect distribution in the final part and it is a root cause of reservations against the use of additive manufacturing for the production of safety relevant parts. In this study, the influence of changing thermal conditions on the resulting melt pool depth of 316L stainless steel specimens is demonstrated. A variation of thermo-graphically measured intrinsic preheating temperatures was triggered by an alteration of inter layer times and a variation of cross section areas of specimens for three distinct sets of process parameters. Correlations between the preheating temperature, the melt pool depth, and occurring defects were analyzed. The limited expressiveness of the results of small density cubes is revealed throughout the systematic investigation. Finally, a clear recommendation to consider thermal conditions in future process parameter optimizations is given.
The capability to produce complexly and individually shaped metallic parts is one of the main advantages of the laser powder bed fusion (PBF LB/M) process. Development of material and machine specific process parameters is commonly based on results acquired from small cubic test coupons of about 10 mm edge length. Such cubes are usually used to conduct an optimization of process parameters to produce dense material. The parameters are then taken as the basis for the manufacturing of real part geometries. However, complex geometries go along with complex thermal histories during the manufacturing process, which can significantly differ from thermal conditions prevalent during the production of simply shaped test coupons. This may lead to unexpected and unpredicted local inhomogeneities of the microstructure and defect distribution in the final part and it is a root cause of reservations against the use of additive manufacturing for the production of safety relevant parts. In this study, the influence of changing thermal conditions on the resulting melt pool depth of 316L stainless steel specimens is demonstrated. A variation of thermo-graphically measured intrinsic preheating temperatures was triggered by an alteration of inter layer times and a variation of cross section areas of specimens for three distinct sets of process parameters. Correlations between the preheating temperature, the melt pool depth, and occurring defects were analyzed. The limited expressiveness of the results of small density cubes is revealed throughout the systematic investigation. Finally, a clear recommendation to consider thermal conditions in future process parameter optimizations is given.
X-ray refraction is analogous to visible light deflection by matter; it occurs at boundaries between different media. The main difference between visible light and X-rays is that in the latter case deflection angles are very small, from a few seconds to a few minutes of arc (i.e., the refraction index n is near to 1). Importantly, deflection of X-rays is also sensitive to the orientation of the object boundaries. These features make X-ray refraction techniques extremely suitable to a) detect defects such as pores and microcracks and quantify their densities in bulk (not too heavy) materials, and b) evaluate porosity and particle properties such as orientation, size, and spatial distribution (by mapping). While X-ray refraction techniques cannot in general image single defects, they can detect objects with size above a few wavelengths of the radiation.
Such techniques, especially at the Synchrotron BESSY II, Berlin, Germany, can be used in-situ, i.e. when the specimen is subjected to temperatures or external loads.
The use of X-ray refraction analysis yields quantitative information, which can be directly input in kinetics, mechanical and damage models.
We hereby show the application of non-destructive X-ray refraction radiography (SXRR, 2D mapping also called topography) to problems in additive manufacturing:
1) Porosity analysis in PBF-LM-Ti64. Through the use of SXRR, we could not only map the (very sparse) porosity distribution between the layers and quantify it, but also classify, and thereby separate, the filled porosity (unmolten powder) from the keyhole and gas pores (Figure 1).
2) In-situ heat treatment of laser powder bed fusion PBF-LM-AlSi10Mg to monitor microstructure and porosity evolution as a function of temperature (Figure 2). By means of SXRR we indirectly observed the initial eutectic Si network break down into larger particles as a function of increasing temperature. We also could detect the thermally induced porosity (TIP). Such changes in the Si-phase morphology upon heating is currently only possible using scanning electron microscopy, but with a much smaller field-of-view. SXRR also allows observing the growth of some individual pores, usually studied via X-ray computed tomography, but again on much smaller fields-of-view.
Our results show the great potential of in-situ SXRR as a tool to gain in-depth knowledge of the defect distribution and the susceptibility of any material to thermally induced damage and/or microstructure evolution over statistically relevant volumes.
Great complexity characterizes Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metallic components via laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M). Due to this, defects in the printed components (like cracks and pores) are still common. Monitoring methods are commercially used, but the relationship between process data and defect formation is not well understood yet. Furthermore, defects and deformations might develop with a temporal delay to the laser energy input. The component’s actual quality is consequently only determinable after the finished process.
To overcome this drawback, thermographic in-situ testing is introduced. The defocused process laser is utilized for nondestructive testing performed layer by layer throughout the build process. The results of the defect detection via infrared cameras are shown for a research PBF-LB/M machine.
This creates the basis for a shift from in-situ monitoring towards in-situ testing during the AM process. Defects are detected immediately inside the process chamber, and the actual component quality is determined.
High energy X-ray synchrotron diffraction is used to investigate the elastic anisotropy of the nickel-based superalloy IN718 produced by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). This material is characterized by a columnar grain morphology with some crystallographic texture. The material is subjected to elastic loading to determine the diffraction elastic constants (DECs). Furthermore, the single-crystal elastic constants (SCEC) are refined from these experiments using different micromechanical models. The results show that each micromechanical model predicts a specific set of SCEC that well describes the elastic anisotropy of PBF-LB/IN718.
Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP) is often introduced to tackle the porosity issue in additively manufactured (AM) materials. For instance, HIP post-processing is recommended to improve fatigue resistance of Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB) manufactured parts [1, 2]. Even though HIP cannot completely remove porosity, it significantly decreases the defect population and its average size below the critical threshold value leading to early crack initiation.
In the present study, in-situ investigation of HIP procedure of PBF-LB Ti-6Al-4V parts was carried out to gain further insights into the densification mechanism occurring during HIP. The in-situ observations at high pressure and high temperature are uniquely possible at the PSICHE beamline of the Soleil synchrotron (France), thanks to the Ultrafast Tomography on a Paris-Edinburgh Cell (UToPEC) and the combination of the fast phase-contrast tomography and energy-dispersive diffraction [3, 4]. A detailed methodology was developed to ensure that the correct pressure and temperature were maintained during the experiments.
The results allowed an estimation of the global dentification rate during HIP of PBF-LB Ti-Al-4V material, as well as a detailed quantitative characterization of the influence of pore size and shape on the densification process, thereby understanding the effectiveness of HIP process on different pore categories. After 20 mins, 75% of porosity can be considered as closed or has size below the resolution of the XCT reconstruction. We also observed that the smallest defects showed higher densification rate, while the defect shape did not have significant effect on such rate. The current development of in-situ HIP experiment allows experimental quantification and validation of the simulation work. Ultimately it paves the road to tailoring the HIP procedure for different materials depending on the porosity and microstructure.
For the wide acceptance of the use of additive manufacturing (AM), it is required to provide reliable testing methods to ensure the safety of the additively manufactured parts. A possible solution could be the deployment of in-situ monitoring during the build process. However, for laser powder bed fusion using metal powders (PBF-LB/M) only a few in-situ monitoring techniques are commercially available (optical tomography, melt pool monitoring), which have not been researched to an extent that allows to guarantee the adherence to strict quality and safety standards.
In this contribution, we present results of a study of PBF-LB/M printed parts made of the nickel-based superalloy Haynes 282. The formation of defects was provoked by local variations of the process parameters and monitored by thermography, optical tomography and melt pool monitoring. Afterwards, the defects were characterized by computed tomography (CT) to identify the detection limits of the used in-situ techniques.
Laser powder bed fusion is one of the most promising additive manufacturing techniques for printing complex-shaped metal components. However, the formation of subsurface porosity poses a significant risk to the service lifetime of the printed parts. In-situ monitoring offers the possibility to detect porosity already during manufacturing. Thereby, process feedback control or a manual process interruption to cut financial losses is enabled.
Short-wave infrared thermography can monitor the thermal history of manufactured parts which is closely connected to the probability of porosity formation. Artificial intelligence methods are increasingly used for porosity prediction from the obtained large amounts of complex monitoring data. In this study, we aim to identify the potential and the challenges of deep-learning-assisted porosity prediction based on thermographic in-situ monitoring.
Therefore, the porosity prediction task is studied in detail using an exemplary dataset from the manufacturing of two Haynes282 cuboid components. Our trained 1D convolutional neural network model shows high performance (R² score of 0.90) for the prediction of local porosity in discrete sub-volumes with dimensions of (700 x 700 x 40) μm³.
It could be demonstrated that the regressor correctly predicts layer-wise porosity changes but presumably has limited capability to predict differences in local porosity. Furthermore, there is a need to study the significance of the used thermogram feature inputs to streamline the model and to adjust the monitoring hardware. Moreover, we identified multiple sources of data uncertainty resulting from the in-situ monitoring setup, the registration with the ground truth X-ray-computed tomography data and the used pre-processing workflow that might influence the model’s performance detrimentally.
Inconel 718 (IN718) is a traditional age-hardenable nickel-based alloy that has been increasingly processed by additive manufacturing (AM) in recent years. In the as-solidified condition, IN718 exhibits chemical segregation and the undesired Laves phase, requiring a solution annealing (SA) prior to aging. The material produced by AM does not respond to the established thermal routines in the same way as conventionally produced IN718, and there is still no consensus on which routine yields optimal results. This work aims to provide a fundamental understanding of the heat treatment (HT) response by continuously monitoring the microstructural evolution during SA via time-resolved synchrotron x-ray diffraction, complemented by ex-situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The samples were produced by laser powder bed fusion to a geometry of 10x20x90 mm³, from which Ø1x5 mm³ cylindric specimens were extracted. Two different scanning strategies – incremental 67° rotations, Rot, and alternating 0°/67° tracks, Alt – were used, leading to two different as-built conditions. 1-hour SAs were carried out in the beamline ID22 of the ESRF at 50 KeV. Two SA temperatures, SA1 = 1020 °C, and SA2 = 1080 °C were tested for each scanning strategy. Data were processed using the software PDIndexer. In the as-built state, all samples showed typical subgrain columnar cell structures with predominant Nb/Mo segregation and Laves phase at the cell walls, as seen by SEM. The Alt scan induced higher intensity on the Laves peaks than the Rot scan, suggesting a greater content of Laves. Chemical homogenization in the SA was largely achieved during the heating ramp (Fig. 1). SA2 eliminated the Laves peaks just before reaching 1080 °C, and mitigated differences between Rot and Alt samples. On the other hand, SA1 induced the precipitation of the generally detrimental δ phase, also observed by SEM. Furthermore, the Rot scan showed higher δ peak intensities than the Alt scan, indicating a higher content of δ in the latter. No signs of recrystallization were observed in any of the investigated SAs.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) on desktop 3D printers is a material extrusion-based technique often used by educational institutions, small enterprises and private households. Polymeric filaments are melted and extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extrusion temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job, but also one of the main driving factors for the emission of harmful air pollutants, namely ultrafine particles and volatile organic gases, which are formed by thermal stress on the polymeric feedstock. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, the multiplicity of study designs makes an objective comparison of emission data challenging because printer hardware factors such as the actual extruder temperature (TE) and also feedstockspecific emissions are not considered. We assume that across the market of commercial low- and mid-price FFF printers substantial deviations between actual and set extruder temperatures exist, which have a strong effect on the emissions and hence may bias the findings of exposure studies. In our last publication, we presented a standardized feedstock-specific emission test method and showed that for each investigated feedstock an increase in actual extruder temperature was accompanied by an increase in particle emissions (Tang and Seeger, 2022). Therefore, any systematic discrepancy between set and actual extruder temperature matters. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperatures at different heights. We found significant under- and overestimation of the actual extruder temperatures by the respective set temperatures in three commercial printers. This caused a broad variation of the measured total numbers of emitted particles (TP), even when the same feedstock was operated. For the determination of TP, we followed the DE-UZ 219 test guideline. In a second round we repeated the tests with all printers adjusted to exactly the same extruder temperatures, i.e., to TE=230°C for ABS and TE=210°C for PLA. All measurements were conducted in a 1 m³ emission test chamber. Particle emissions in the size range between 4 nm and 20 μm were detected. Printing on three different printer models without temperature adjustment resulted for each of the investigated feedstocks in a variation in TP of around two orders of magnitude. After temperature adjustment, this was substantially reduced to approx. one order of magnitude and hence minimizes the bias of printer hardware on the emissions. Our findings suggest that adjustment of the extruder temperature should be mandatory in emission testing standards. It also poses a more accurate benchmark and provides more reliable emission data for evaluation of indoor air quality or for health risk assessments. In addition, a proper temperature setting is in the interest of the user. Some commercial FFF printers may have a higher actual extruder temperature than displayed and unintended overheating may not only impair the print quality but may cause unnecessarily increased exposure to particle emissions.
Material extrusion of thermoplastic polymers enables the realization of complex specific designs with high performance composites. The present study aims at evaluating the mechanical properties of carbon fiberreinforced semi-crystalline thermoplastic polymer polyether ether ketone (CFR-PEEK) manufactured by material extrusion and correlating them with results obtained by micro-CT. Samples in the shape of small bars were provided by Kumovis (Munich, Germany). The determination of surface roughness and density was followed by three-point bending tests. To reveal the pore distribution as well as the fusion quality of CFR PEEK when applied with external forces, micro-CT scans were performed with an X-ray microscope before and after the mechanical test to localize the sites where the fracture is generated. The density of CFR-PEEK bars indicated that they had superior mechanical properties compared with our previous study on unfilled 3D printed PEEK (bending modulus: (5.4 ± 0.5) GPa vs. (1.05 ± 0.05) GPa to (1.48 ± 0.10) GPa; bending strength: (167 ± 11) MPa vs. (51 ± 15) to (193 ± 7) MPa). Micro-CT analyses revealed the local 3D-distribution of voids. Voids of 30 μm diameter are nearly spherical and make up the main part of the total porosity. The larger the voids, the more they deviate from a spherical shape. Significant lack-of-fusion voids are located between the deposited filaments. By growing and merging, they act as seeds for the forming fracture line in the region of the flexural specimens where the maximum local tensile stresses occurred under bending load. Our work provides a detailed analysis of printed PEEK with fiber additive and relates this with mechanical properties.
Defects are still common in metal components built with Additive Manufacturing (AM). Process monitoring methods for laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are used in industry, but relationships between monitoring data and defect formation are not fully understood yet. Additionally, defects and deformations may develop with a time delay to the laser energy input. Thus, currently, the component quality is only determinable after the finished process.
Here, active laser thermography, a non-destructive testing method, is adapted to PBF-LB/M, using the defocused process laser as heat source. The testing can be performed layer by layer throughout the manufacturing process. The results of the defect detection using infrared cameras are presented for a custom research PBF-LB/M machine. Our work enables a shift from post-process testing of components towards in-situ testing during the AM process. The actual component quality is evaluated in the process chamber and defects can be detected between layers.
The focus of the presentation focus will be on 3D imaging by means of X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) at the lab and at synchrotron, and the non-destructive residual stress (RS) characterization by diffraction of additively manufactured (AM) materials in BAM (Berlin, Germany). The manufacturing defects and high RS are inherent of AM techniques and affect structural integrity of the components. Using XCT the defects size and shape distribution as well as geometrical deviations can be characterized, allowing the further optimization of the manufacturing process. Diffraction-based RS analysis methods using neutron and synchrotron X-rays at large scale facilities offer the possibility to non-destructively spatially resolve both surface and bulk RS in complex components and track their changes following applied thermal or mechanical loads.
Safety-critical applications of products manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are still limited to date. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge regarding the complex relationship between process, structure, and resulting properties. The assurance of homogeneity of the microstructure and homogeneity of the occurrence and distribution of defects within complexly shaped geometries is still challenging. Unexpected and unpredicted local inhomogeneities may cause catastrophic failures. The identification of material specific and machine specific process parameter windows for production of fully dense simple laboratory specimens is state of the art. However, the incorporation of changing thermal conditions that a complexly shaped component can be faced with during the manufacturing process is often neglected at the stage of a process window determination. This study demonstrates the tremendous effect of changing part temperatures on the defect occurrence for the broadly used stainless steel alloy AISI 316L. Process intrinsic variations of the surface temperature are caused by heat accumulation which was measured by use of a temperature adjusted mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) camera. Heat accumulation was triggered by simple yet effective temporal and geometrical restrictions of heat dissipation. This was realized by a variation of inter layer times and reduced cross section areas of the specimens. Differences in surface temperature of up to 800 K were measured. A severe development of keyhole porosity resulted from these distinct intrinsic preheating temperatures, revealing a shift of the process window towards unstable melting conditions. The presented results may serve as a warning to not solely rely on process parameter optimization without considering the actual process conditions a real component is faced with during the manufacturing process. Additionally, it motivates the development of representative test specimens.
Safety-critical applications of products manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) are still limited to date. This is mainly due to a lack of knowledge regarding the complex relationship between process, structure, and resulting properties. The assurance of homogeneity of the microstructure and homogeneity of the occurrence and distribution of defects within complexly shaped geometries is still challenging. Unexpected and unpredicted local inhomogeneities may cause catastrophic failures. The identification of material specific and machine specific process parameter windows for production of fully dense simple laboratory specimens is state of the art. However, the incorporation of changing thermal conditions that a complexly shaped component can be faced with during the manufacturing process is often neglected at the stage of a process window determination. This study demonstrates the tremendous effect of changing part temperatures on the defect occurrence for the broadly used stainless steel alloy AISI 316L. Process intrinsic variations of the surface temperature are caused by heat accumulation which was measured by use of a temperature adjusted mid-wavelength infrared (MWIR) camera. Heat accumulation was triggered by simple yet effective temporal and geometrical restrictions of heat dissipation. This was realized by a variation of inter layer times and reduced cross section areas of the specimens. Differences in surface temperature of up to 800 K were measured. A severe development of keyhole porosity resulted from these distinct intrinsic preheating temperatures, revealing a shift of the process window towards unstable melting conditions. The presented results may serve as a warning to not solely rely on process parameter optimization without considering the actual process conditions a real component is faced with during the manufacturing process. Additionally, it motivates the development of representative test specimens.
For the wide acceptance of the use of additive manufacturing (AM), it is required to provide reliable testing methods to ensure the safety of the additively manufactured parts. A possible solution could be the deployment of in-situ monitoring during the build process. However, for laser powder bed fusion using metal powders (PBF-LB/M ) only a few in-situ monitoring techniques are commercially available (optical tomography, melt pool monitoring) but not researched to an extent that allows to guarantee the adherence to strict quality and safety standards.
In this contribution, we present results of a study of PBF-LB/M printed parts made of the nickel-based superalloy Haynes 282. The formation of defects was provoked by local variations of the process parameters and monitored by thermography, optical tomography and melt pool monitoring. Afterwards, the defects were characterized by computed tomography (CT) to identify the detection limits of the used in-situ techniques.
Great complexity characterizes Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metallic components via laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M). Due to this, defects in the printed components (like cracks and pores) are still common. Monitoring methods are commercially used, but the relationship between process data and defect formation is not well understood yet. Furthermore, defects and deformations might develop with a temporal delay to the laser energy input. The component’s actual quality is consequently only determinable after the finished process.
To overcome this drawback, thermographic in-situ testing is introduced. The defocused process laser is utilized for nondestructive testing performed layer by layer throughout the build process. The results of the defect detection via infrared cameras are shown for a research PBF-LB/M machine.
This creates the basis for a shift from in-situ monitoring towards in-situ testing during the AM process. Defects are detected immediately inside the process chamber, and the actual component quality is determined.
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 microstructure has a great influence on short fatigue crack growth in metallic materials. Laser-based Powder Bed Fusion AlSi10Mg alloys exhibit in the as-built condition a fine fibrous Si structure and a supersaturated solid solution of Si in the α-Al matrix, which is significantly modified by heat treatments starting already at temperatures under 260 °C. This study focuses on the influence of post-process heat treatments on the microstructural evolution and the resulting fatigue crack growth resistance. As compared to the as-built condition, two heat treatments at 265 °C/1 h and at 300 °C/2 h are found to be beneficial to the fatigue crack growth resistance of the investigated material.
One of the main advantages of metal additive manufacturing (MAM) techniques is their ability to produce components with site-specific microstructural features. Nevertheless, microstructural defects and lack of repeatability are still major concerns in MAM. In this study, a laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) IN718 material, produced using two different scan length vectors, is investigated using Bragg-edge neutron 2D imaging (BENI) combined with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis. BENI is able to detect, on a macroscopic scale, process-induced changes in texture in a large field of view covering the entire sample (20×80 mm2). In addition, high-resolution BENI (HR-BENI), with a pixel size of 12.8 µm, provides a micro-scale examination of the local variations of texture and grain morphology, otherwise undistinguishable using the standard resolution. As such, HR-BENI offers a straightforward and detailed way of screening the integrity of MAM parts at cm-length scales.
Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies such as Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) are characterized by layer wise construction, which enable advancements of component design, leading to potential efficiency and performance improvements. However, the rapid cooling rates associated with the process consequently leads to the generation of high magnitude residual stresses (RS). 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 characterization of these RS is essential for safety related engineering application and supporting the development of reliable numerical models. Diffraction-based methods for RS analysis using high energy synchrotron X-rays and neutrons enable non-destructive spatially resolved characterization of both surface and bulk residual stresses in complex components. This presentation will provide an overview of recent research conducted by the BAM at large scale facilities for the characterization of residual stresses in LPBF metallic alloys. Special focus will be given to the challenges posed by textured LPBF materials for the reliable choice of the diffraction elastic constants (DECs), which is crucial to the accurate calculation of the level of RS.
The high cooling rates (~106 K/s) occurring during Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) of AlSi10Mg induce to the formation of a fine nanometric silicon network in the as-built condition. Such unprecedented microstructure enhances the mechanical strength when compared to equivalent as-cast materials. Nevertheless, PBF-LB/M also leads to high magnitude residual stress (RS) due to the extreme localized temperature gradients. The presence of RS can be detrimental to the fatigue life of engineering components, and great efforts are focused on understanding their generation and evolution after post-process heat treatments. Typically, T6 heat treatments are used to mitigate RS and improve mechanical performances by Mg2Si precipitation during ageing at 160-180°C. Nevertheless, the solutionizing at 500-540°C vanishes the fine silicon network, leading to the formation of micrometric (average of ~2-5 µm) polygonal Si particles, similar to those observed in T6 heat-treated Al-Si cast materials. Therefore, the aim of this work is to evaluate the ability of two so-called low temperature heat treatments (i.e., at 265°C and 300°C) to mitigate RS while retaining the fine as-built microstructure inherent to PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg. The fatigue behavior of the as-built material is subsequently compared to the two low temperature conditions.
Synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (SXCT) at BAMline has been paired with in-situ tensile loading to monitor damage evolution in LPBF Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) 7017 Aluminium alloy + 3 wt% Zr + 0.5 wt% TiC. The processing of the material leads formation to different categories of Zr-rich inclusions, precipitates and defects. In-situ SXCT test disclosed the critical role of the pre-cracks in the reinforcement phases in the failure mechanisms of LPBF MMC. The damage was initiated from lack-of-fusion defects and cracks propagated through coalescence with other defects.
LTCCs (Low-temperature co-fired ceramics) consist of three-dimensionally distributed, hermetically bonded ceramic and metallic components with structure sizes within [10; 100] µm. A non-destructive imaging technique is needed that provides 3D, sharp, high-contrast resolution of these structures, as well as porosity and defect analysis, which is made difficult by the very different X-ray absorption coefficients of the individual components of the microstructure. A HDR method is being developed that allows a combination of different tomograms, each with X-ray energies adapted to individual materials.
The osseointegration in/around additively manufactured (AM) lattice structures of a new titanium alloy, Ti–19Nb–14Zr, was evaluated. Different lattices with increasingly high sidewalls gradually closing them were manufactured and implanted in sheep. After removal, the bone–interface implant (BII) and bone–implant contact (BIC) were studied from 3D X-ray computed tomography images. Measured BII of less than 10 µm and BIC of 95% are evidence of excellent osseointegration.
Since AMnaturally leads to a high-roughness surface finish, the wettability of the implant is increased.
The new alloy possesses an increased affinity to the bone. The lattice provides crevices in which the biological tissue can jump in and cling. The combination of these factors is pushing ossification beyond its natural limits. Therefore, the quality and speed of the ossification and osseointegration in/around these Ti–19Nb–14Zr laterally closed lattice implants open the possibility of bone spline key of prostheses. This enables the stabilization of the implant into the bone while keeping the possibility of punctual hooks allowing the implant to be removed more easily if required. Thus, this new titanium alloy and such laterally closed lattice structures are appropriate candidates to be implemented in a new generation of implants.
Functionally graded porous scaffolds (FGPS) constructed with pores of different size arranged as spatially continuous structure based on sheet-based gyroid with three different scaling factors of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 were produced by electron beam powder bed fusion. The pore dimensions of the obtained scaffolds satisfy the values required for optimal bone tissue ingrowth. Agglomerates of residual powder were found inside all structures, which required post-manufacturing treatment. Using X-ray Computed Tomography powder agglomerations were visualized and average wall thickness, wall-to-wall distances, micro- and macro-porosities were evaluated. The initial cleaning by powder recovery system (PRS) was insufficient for complete powder removal. Additional treatment by dry ultrasonic vibration (USV) was applied and was found successful for gyroids with the scaling factors of 0.05 and 0.1. Mechanical properties of the samples, including quasi-elastic gradients and first maximum compressive strengths of the structures before and after USV were evaluated to prove that additional treatment does not produce structural damage. The estimated quasi-elastic gradients for gyroids with different scaling factors lie in a range between 2.5 and 2.9 GPa, while the first maximum compressive strength vary from 52.5 for to 59.8 MPa, compressive offset stress vary from 46.2 for to 53.2 MPa.
In this study, we present an enhanced deep learning framework for the prediction of porosity based on thermographic in-situ monitoring data of laser powder bed fusion processes. The manufacturing of two cuboid specimens from Haynes 282 (Ni-based alloy) powder was monitored by a short-wave infrared camera. We use thermogram feature data and x-ray computed tomography data to train a convolutional neural network classifier. The classifier is used to perform a multi-class prediction of the spatially resolved porosity level in small sub-volumes of the specimen bulk.
In this study, we present an enhanced deep learning framework for the prediction of porosity based on thermographic in-situ monitoring data of laser powder bed fusion processes. The manufacturing of two cuboid specimens from Haynes 282 (Ni-based alloy) powder was monitored by a short-wave infrared camera. We use thermogram feature data and x-ray computed tomography data to train a convolutional neural network classifier. The classifier is used to perform a multi-class prediction of the spatially resolved porosity level in small sub-volumes of the specimen bulk.
The prediction of porosity is a crucial task for metal based additive manufacturing techniques such as laser powder bed fusion. Short wave infrared thermography as an in-situ monitoring tool enables the measurement of the surface radiosity during the laser exposure. Based on the thermogram data, the thermal history of the component can be reconstructed which is closely related to the resulting mechanical properties and to the formation of porosity in the part. In this study, we present a novel framework for the local prediction of porosity based on extracted features from thermogram data. The framework consists of a data pre-processing workflow and a supervised deep learning classifier architecture. The data pre-processing
workflow generates samples from thermogram feature data by including feature information from multiple subsequent layers.
Thereby, the prediction of the occurrence of complex process phenomena such as keyhole pores is enabled. A custom convolutional neural network model is used for classification. Themodel is trained and tested on a dataset from thermographic in-situ monitoring of the manufacturing of an AISI 316L stainless steel test component. The impact of the pre-processing parameters and the local void distribution on the classification performance is studied in detail. The presented model achieves an accuracy of 0.96 and an f1-Score of 0.86 for predicting keyhole porosity in small sub-volumes with a dimension of (700 × 700 × 50) μm3. Furthermore, we show that pre-processing parameters such as the porosity threshold for sample
labeling and the number of included subsequent layers are influential for the model performance. Moreover, the model prediction is shown to be sensitive to local porosity changes although it is trained on binary labeled data that disregards the actual sample porosity.
The damage mechanisms of metallic components produced by process laser powder bed fusion differ significantly from those typically observed in conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy. This is due to the unique microstructures of additively manufactured materials. Herein, the focus is on the study of the evolution of creep damage in stainless steel 316L specimens produced by laser powder bed fusion. X-ray computed tomography is used to unravel the influence of the process-specific microstructure from the influence of the initial void distribution on creep damage mechanisms. The void distribution of two specimens tested at 600 °C and 650 °C is analyzed before a creep test, after an interruption, and after fracture. The results indicate that the formation of damage is not connected to the initial void distribution. Instead, damage accumulation at grain boundaries resulting from intergranular cracking is observed.
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is a material extrusion-based technique often used in desktop 3D printers. Polymeric filaments are melted and are extruded through a heated nozzle to form a 3D object in layers. The extruder temperature is therefore a key parameter for a successful print job but also one of the main emission driving factors as harmful pollutants (e.g., ultrafine particles) are formed by thermal polymer degradation. The awareness of potential health risks has increased the number of emission studies in the past years. However, studies usually refer their calculated emission data to the printer set extruder temperature for comparison purposes. In this study, we used a thermocouple and an infrared camera to measure the actual extruder temperature and found significant temperature deviations to the displayed set temperature among printer models. Our result shows that printing the same filament feedstocks with three different printer models and with identical printer set temperature resulted in a variation in particle emission of around two orders of magnitude. A temperature adjustment has reduced the variation to approx. one order of magnitude. Thus, it is necessary to refer the measured emission data to the actual extruder temperature as it poses a more accurate comparison parameter for evaluation of the indoor air quality in user scenarios or for health risk assessments.
The hard X-ray beamline BAMline at BESSY II (Berlin, Germany) has now been in service for 20 years. Several improvements have been implemented in this time, and this review provides an overview of the imaging methods available at the BAMline. Besides classic full-field synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (SXCT), also absorption edge CT, synchrotron X-ray refraction radiography (SXRR), and synchrotron X-ray refraction tomography (SXRCT) are used for imaging. Moreover, virtually any of those techniques are currently coupled in situ or operando with ancillary equipment such as load rigs, furnaces, or potentiostats. Each of the available techniques is explained and both the current and the potential usage are described with corresponding examples. The potential use is manifold, the examples cover organic materials, composite materials, energy-related materials, biological samples, and materials related to additive manufacturing. The article includes published examples as well as some unpublished applications.
The overview of the activity of Federal Institute for Material Research and Testing (BAM, Belin, Germany) in the field of additively manufacturing material characterization will be presented. The research of our group is focused on the 3D imaging of AM materials by means of X-ray Computed Tomography at the lab and at synchrotron, and the residual stress characterization by diffraction (nondestructive technique).
Al-Si alloys produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBFLB) allow the fabrication of lightweight free-shape components. Due to the extremely heterogeneous cooling and heating, PBF-LB induces high magnitude residual stress (RS) and a fine Si microstructure. As the RS can be deleterious to the fatigue resistance of engineering components, great efforts are focused on understanding their evolution in as-built state (AB) and after post-process heat treatments (HT). RS in single edge notch bending (SENB) subjected to different HT are investigated (HT1: 1h at 265°C and HT2: 2h at 300°C).
This study addressed a 7017 Al-alloy tailored for powder bed fusion – laser beam (PBF-LB) process. The alloy was prepared by mixing 3 wt% Zr and 0.5 wt% TiC powder to standard pre-alloyed 7017 grade aluminium powder. This made printing of the alloys possible avoiding solidification cracking in the bulk and achieving high relative density (99.8 %). Such advanced alloys have significantly higher Young’s modulus (>80 GPa) than conventional Al-alloys (70–75 GPa), thus making them attractive for applications requiring high stiffness. The resulting microstructure in as-printed condition was rich in particles originating from admixed powders and primary precipitates/inclusions originating from the PBF-LB process. After performing a T6-like heat treatment designed for the PBF-LB process, the microstructure changed: Zr-nanoparticles and Fe- or Mg/Zn- containing precipitates formed thus providing 75 % increase in yield strength (from 254 MPa to 444 MPa) at the cost of decreasing ductility (∼20 % to ∼9 %). In-situ tensile testing combined with SXCT, and ex-situ tensile testing combined with fracture analysis confirmed that the fracture initiation in both conditions is highly dependent on defects originated during printing. However, cracks are deflected from decohesion around Zr-containing inclusions/precipitates embedded in the Al-matrix. This deflection is seen to improve the ductility of the material.
While laser powder-bed fusion has overcome some of the design constraints of conventional manufacturing methods, it requires careful selection of process parameters and scan strategies to obtain favorable properties. Here we show that even simple scan strategies, complex ones being inevitable when printing intricate designs, can inadvertently produce local alterations of the microstructure and preferential grain orientation over small areas – which easily remain unnoticed across the macroscale. We describe how a combined usage of neutron imaging and electron backscatter diffraction can reveal these localized variations and explain their origin within cm-sized parts. We explain the observed contrast variations by linking the neutron images to simulated data, pole figures and EBSD, providing an invaluable reference for future studies and showing that presumably minor changes of the scan strategy can have detrimental effects on the mechanical properties. In-situ tensile tests reveal that fracture occurs in a region that was re-melted during the building process.
Laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) of metallic alloys is a layer wise additive manufacturing process which provides significant scope for more efficient designs of components, benefiting performance and weight, leading to efficiency improvements for various sectors of industry. However, to benefit from these design freedoms, knowledge of the high produced induced residual stress and mechanical property anisotropy associated with the unique microstructures is critical. X-ray and neutron diffraction are considered the benchmark for non-destructive characterization of surface and bulk internal residual stress. The latter, characterized by the high penetration power in most engineering alloys, allows for the use of diffraction angle close to 90° enabling a near cubic sampling volume to be specified. However, the complex microstructures of columnar growth with inherent crystallographic texture typically produced during PBF-LB/M of metallics present significant challenges to the assumptions typically required for time efficient determination of residual stress. These challenges include the selection of an appropriate set of diffraction elastic constants and a representative strain-free reference for the material of interest. In this presentation advancements in the field of diffraction-based residual stress analysis of L-PBF Inconel 718 will be presented. The choice of an appropriate set of diffraction-elastic constants depending on the underlying microstructure will be described.
Since metal additive manufacturing (AM) becomes more and more established in industry, also the cost pressure for AM components increases. One big cost factor is the quality control of the manufactured components. Reliable in-process monitoring systems are a promising route to lower scrap rates and enhance trust in the component and process quality.
The focus of this contribution is the presentation and comparison of two optical tomography based multi measurand in-situ monitoring approaches for the L-PBF process: the bicolor- and the RGB-optical tomography. The classical optical tomography (OT) is one of the most common commercial in-situ monitoring techniques in industrial L-PBF machines. In the OT spatial resolved layer-images of the L-PBF process are taken from an off-axis position in one near infrared wavelength window. In addition to the explanatory powers classical OT, both here presented approaches enable the determination of the maximum surface temperature. In contrast to thermography that may also yield maximum temperature information, the needed equipment is significantly cheaper and offers a higher spatial resolution. Both approaches are implemented at a new in-house developed L-PBF system (Sensor-based additive manufacturing machine - SAMMIE). SAMMIE is specifically designed for the development and characterization of in-situ monitoring systems and is introduced as well.
Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion-manufactured (E-PBF) porous components with narrow pores or channels and rough walls or struts can be filled with trapped powder after the manufacturing process. Adequate powder removal procedures are required, especially for high-density porous structures. In the present research, sheetbased porous structures with different thicknesses based on triply periodic minimal surfaces fabricated by EPBF were subjected to different post-processing methods, including a traditional powder recovery system for EPBF, chemical etching and ultrasound vibration-assisted powder removal. Wall thickness, internal defects, microstructure and morphology features, powder distribution inside the specimens, mechanical properties and deformation modes were investigated. A powder recovery system could not remove all residual powder from dense structures. In turn, chemical etching was effective for surface morphology changes and subsurface layers elimination but not for powder removal, as it affected the wall thickness, considerably influencing the mechanical properties of the whole structure. The ultrasound vibration method was quite effective for the removal of residual powder from sheet-based TMPS structures and without a severe degradation of mechanical properties. 10.1016/j.msea.2022.144479 Ultrasound vibration also caused grain refinement.
Influence of a 265 °C heat treatment on the residual stress state of a PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg alloy
(2022)
Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) additive manufacturing (AM) induces
high magnitude residual stress (RS) in structures due to the extremely heterogeneous cooling and heating rates. As the RS can be deleterious to the fatigue resistance of engineering components, great efforts are focused on understanding their generation and evolution after post-process heat treatments. In this study, one of the few of its kind, the RS relaxation induced in an as-built PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg material by a low-temperature heat treatment (265 °C for 1 h) is studied by means of X-ray and neutron diffraction. Since the specimens are manufactured using a baseplate heated up to 200 °C, low RS are found in the as-built condition. After heat treatment a redistribution of the RS is observed, while their magnitude remains constant. It is proposed that the redistribution is induced by a repartition of stresses between the a-aluminium matrix and the silicon phase, as the morphology of the silicon phase is affected by the heat treatment. A considerable scatter is observed in the neutron diffraction RS profiles, which is principally correlated to the presence (or absence) of pockets of porosity developed at the borders of the chessboard pattern.
Additive manufacturing methods such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) allow geometrically complex parts to be manufactured within a single step. However, as an aftereffect of the localized heat input, the rapid cooling rates are the origin of the large residual stress (RS) retained in as-manufactured parts. With a view on the microstructure, the rapid directional cooling leads to a cellular solidification mode which is accompanied by columnar grown grains possessing crystallographic texture. The solidification conditions can be controlled by the processing parameters and the scanning strategy. Thus, the process allows one to tailor the microstructure and the texture to the specific needs. Yet, such microstructures are not only the origin of the mechanical anisotropy but also pose metrological challenges for the diffraction-based RS determination. In that context the micromechanical elastic anisotropy plays an important role: it translates the measured microscopic strain to macroscopic stress. Therefore, it is of uttermost importance to understand the influence of the hierarchical microstructures and the texture on the elastic anisotropy of LPBF manufactured materials.
This study reveals the influence of the build orientation and the texture on the micro-mechanical anisotropy of as-built Inconel 718. Through variations of the build orientation and the scanning strategy, we manufactured specimens possessing [001]/[011]-, [001]-, and [011]/[111]-type textures. The resulting microstructures lead to differences in the macroscopic mechanical properties. Even further, tensile in-situ loading experiments during neutron diffraction measurements along the different texture components revealed differences in the microstrain response of multiple crystal lattice planes. In particular, the load partitioning and the residual strain accumulation among the [011]/[111] textured specimen displayed distinct differences measured up to a macroscopic strain of 10 %. However, the behavior of the specimens possessing [001]/[011]-and [001]-type texture was only minorly affected. The consequences on the metrology of RS analysis by diffraction-based methods are discussed.
The formation of irregularities such as keyhole porosity pose a major challenge to the manufacturing of metal parts by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M). In-situ thermography as a process monitoring technique shows promising potential in this manner since it is able to extract the thermal history of the part which is closely related to the formation of irregularities. In this study, we investigate the utilization of machine learning algorithms to detect keyhole porosity on the base of thermographic features. Here, as a referential technique, x-ray micro computed tomography is utilized to determine the part's porosity. An enhanced preprocessing workflow inspired by the physics of the keyhole irregularity formation is presented in combination with a customized model architecture. Furthermore, experiments were performed to clarify the role of important parameters of the preprocessing workflow for the task of defect detection . Based on the results, future demands on irregularity prediction in PBF-LB/M are derived.
The appearance of irregularities such as keyhole porosity is a major challenge for the production of metal parts by laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M). The utilization of thermographic in-situ monitoring is a promising approach to extract the thermal history which is closely related to the formation of irregularities. In this study, we investigate the utilization of convolutional neural networks to predict keyhole porosity based on thermographic features. Here, the porosity information calculated from an x-ray micro computed tomography scan is used as reference. Feature engineering is performed to enable the model to learn the complex physical characteristics of the porosity formation. The model is examined with regard to the choice of hyperparameters, the significance of thermal features and characteristics of the data acquisition. Based on the results, future demands on irregularity prediction in PBF-LB/M are derived.
The printability of artificial defects inside the additively manufactured laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 316L stainless steel is investigated. The printing parameters of the LPBF process are optimized to produce artificial defects with reproducible sizes at desired positions while minimizing redundant porosity. The smallest obtained artificial defect is 90 μm in diameter. The accuracy of the geometry of the printed defect depends on both the height and the diameter in the input model. The effect of artificial defects on the very-high-cycle fatigue (VHCF) behavior of LPBF 316L stainless steel is also studied. The specimens printed with artificial defects in the center are tested under VHCF using an ultrasonic machine. Crack initiation is accompanied by the formation of a fine granular area (FGA), typical of VHCF. Despite the presence of relatively large artificial defects, FGA formation is observed around accidental natural printing defects closer to the surface, which can still be considered as internal. The causes for this occurrence are discussed.
The availability of high-performance Al alloys in AM is limited due to difficulties in printability, requiring both the development of synergetic material and AM process to mitigate problems such as solidification cracking during laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). The goal of this work was to investigate the failure mechanism in a LPBF 7017 Aluminium alloy + 3 wt% Zr + 0.5 wt% TiC. The processing leads to different categories of Zr-rich inclusions, precipitates and defects.
In-situ monitoring of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion build process via bi- chromatic optical tomography
(2022)
As metal additive manufacturing (AM) is entering industrial serial production of safety relevant components, the need for reliable process qualification is growing continuously. Especially in strictly regulated industries, such as aviation, the use of AM is strongly dependent on ensuring consistent quality of components. Because of its numerous influencing factors, up to now, the metal AM process is not fully controllable. Today, expensive part qualification processes for each single component are common in industry.
This contribution focusses on bi-chromatic optical tomography as a new approach for AM in-situ quality control. In contrast to classical optical tomography, the emitted process radiation is monitored simultaneously with two temperature calibrated cameras at two separate wavelength bands. This approach allows one to estimate the local maximum temperatures during the manufacturing process, thus increases the comparability of monitoring data of different processes. A new process information level at low investment cost is reachable, compared to, e.g., infrared thermography.
Al-Si alloys produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB/M) techniques allow the fabrication of lightweight free-shape components. Due to the extremely heterogeneous cooling and heating, PBF-LB/M induces high magnitude residual stress (RS) and a fine Si microstructure. As the RS can be deleterious to the fatigue resistance of engineering components, great efforts are focused on understanding their evolution before and after post-process heat treatments (HT).
The formation of defects such as keyhole pores is a major challenge for the production of metal parts by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The LPBF process is characterized by a large number of influencing factors which can be hard to quantify. Machine Learning (ML) is a prominent tool to predict the outcome of complex processes on the basis of different sensor data. In this study, a ML model for defect prediction is created using thermographic image features as input data. As a reference, the porosity information calculated from an x-ray Micro Computed Tomography (µCT) scan of the produced specimen is used. Physical knowledge about the keyhole pore formation is incorporated into the model to increase the prediction accuracy. From the prediction result, the quality of the input data is evaluated and future demands on in-situ monitoring of LPBF processes are formulated.
The interest to additively manufacture Nickel-based superalloys has substantially grown within the past decade both academically and industrially. More specifically, additive manufacturing processes such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) offer the ability to produce dense parts within a single manufacturing step. In fact, the exceptional freedom in design associated with the layer-based nature of the processes is of particular interest for the complex shapes typically required in turbine applications. In certain cases, the overall part performance can be achieved by tailoring the microstructure and the crystallographic texture to the specific application. However, these advantages must be paid at a price: the large local temperature gradients associated with the rapid melting and solidification produce parts that inherently contain large residual stress in the as-manufactured state. In addition, the presence of pores in the final part may further affect the in-service part failure. As among Nickel-based alloys Inconel 718 exhibits excellent weldability, this alloy has been widely studied in open research in the domain of LPBF. However, significant microsegregation of the heavier alloying elements such as Niobium and Molybdenum accompanied by dislocation entanglements may preclude the application of conventional heat treatment schedules. Therefore, different post processing heat treatments are required for laser powder bed fused Inconel 718 as compared to conventional variants of the same alloy.
In this study, we investigated two different heat treatment routes for LPBF Inconel 718. In a first routine, the samples were stress relieved and subsequently subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) followed by a solution heat treatment and a two-step age (referred to as FHT). In a second routine, the samples were subjected to a single-step direct age post stress relieving heat treatment (referred to DA). We investigated the consequences of such heat treatment schedules on the microstructure, texture, and mechanical behavior. We show that by applying a DA heat treatment the typical columnar microstructure possessing a crystallographic texture is retained, while an equiaxed untextured microstructure prevails in case of an FHT heat treatment. We further evaluate how these heat treatments affect the mechanical behaviour on the macroscopic and microscopic scale.
The European Metrology Network (EMN) for Advanced Manufacturing has been established in June 2021. Currently nine EMNs focussing on different important topics of strategic importance for Europe exist and form an integral part of EURAMET, the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (NMI). EMNs are tasked to ▪ develop a high-level coordination of the metrology community in Europe in a close dialogue with the respective stakeholders (SH)
▪ develop a strategic research agenda (SRA) within their thematic areas
▪ provide contributions to the European Partnership on Metrology research programme Based on the analysis of existing metrology infrastructures and capabilities of NMIs, the metrology research needs for advanced manufacturing are identified in close cooperation with academic, governmental and industrial stakeholders.
Here, we report on the progress of the EMN for Advanced Manufacturing.
Avoiding the formation of defects such as keyhole pores is a major challenge for the production of metal parts by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). The use of in-situ monitoring by thermographic cameras is a promising approach to detect defects, however the data is hard to analyze by conventional algorithms. Therefore, we investigate the use of Machine Learning (ML) in this study, as it is a suitable tool to model complex processes with many influencing factors. A ML model for defect prediction is created based on features extracted from process thermograms. The porosity information calculated from an x-ray Micro Computed Tomography (µCT) scan is used as reference. Physical characteristics of the keyhole pore formation are incorporated into the model to increase the prediction accuracy. Based on the prediction result, the quality of the input data is inferred and future demands on in-situ monitoring of LPBF processes are derived.
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.
X-Ray computed tomography (XCT) scan of 11 individual metallic powder particles, made of (Mn,Fe)2(P,Si) alloy. The data set consists of 4 single XCT scans which have been stitched together [3] after reconstruction. The powder material is an (Mn,Fe)2(P,Si) alloy with an average density of 6.4 g/cm³. The particle size range is about 100 - 150 µm with equivalent pore diameters up to 75 µm. The powder and the metallic alloy are described in detail in [1, 2].
Till now application of printed magnetoelectronics is hindered by lack of large area exchange coupled metallic multilayers required to produce printable magneto-sensory inks. Large-scale roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication process is an attractive approach owing to its capabilities for high volume, high throughput, and large area manufacturing. Precise and high performance R2R sputtering technology is developed to fabricate large area giant magnetoresistive (GMR) thin-films stacks that contain 30 metallic bilayers prepared by continuous R2R sputtering of Co and Cu sequential on a hundred meters long polyethylene terephthalate (PET) web. The R2R sputtered Co/Cu multilayer on a 0.2 × 100 m2 PET web exhibits a GMR ratio of ≈40% achieving the largest area exchange coupled room temperature magneto-sensitive system demonstrated to date. The prepared GMR thin-film is converted to magnetosensitive ink that enables printing of magnetic sensors with high performance in a cost-efficient way, which promotes integration with printed electronics. An average GMR ratio of ≈18% is obtained for 370 printed magnetic sensors. The realized precise R2R sputtering approach can also be extended to a wide range of hybrid thin-film material systems opening up a path for new functional inks applied with printing technologies.
The overview of the activity of group 8.5 Micro-NDT (BAM, Belin, Germany) in the field of additively manufacturing material characterization will be presented. The challenges in the residual stress analysis of AM components are discussed on the basis on the show studies performed in BAM. Also, the synchrotron X-ray refraction technique, available in BAM, is presented, showing example of in-situ heating test of Al10SiMg AM material.
Additively manufactured (AM) metallic sheet-based Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Structures (TPMSS) meet several requirements in both bio-medical and engineering fields: Tunable mechanical properties, low sensitivity to manufacturing defects, mechanical stability, and high energy absorption. However, they also present some challenges related to quality control. In fact, the optimization of both the AM process and the properties of TPMSS is impossible without considering structural characteristics as manufacturing accuracy, internal defects, and as well as surface topography and roughness. In this study, the quantitative non-destructive analysis of TPMSS manufactured from Ti-6Al-4V alloy by electron beam melting was performed by means of laboratory X-ray computed tomography (XCT).
Most of the Al alloys used in additive manufacturing (AM), in particular Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF), do not exceed a strength of 200 MPa, whereas conventionally high-performance alloys exhibit strengths exceeding 400 MPa. The availability of such Al alloys in AM is limited due to difficulties in printability, requiring synergetic material and AM process development to satisfy harsh processing conditions during LPBF [1]. One approach is the addition of reinforcement to the based powder, allowing tailoring composition and properties of a Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) by AM. Still, the effect of the reinforcement on the resulting mechanical properties must be studied to understand the performance and limits of the newly developed material. The goal of this work was to investigate the failure mechanism of LPBF Al-based MMC material using in-situ Synchrotron X-ray Computed Tomography (SXCT) during mechanical testing.
The complexity of any microstructural characterization significantly increases when there is a need to evaluate the icrostructural evolution as a function of temperature. To date, this characterization is primarily performed by undertaking elaborative ex-situ experiments where the material’s heating procedure is interrupted at different temperatures or times. Moreover, these studies are often limited to a region smaller than the representative elementary volume, which can lead to partial or even biased interpretations of the collected data. This limitation can be greatly overcome by using in-situ synchrotron X-ray refraction (SXRR).
The industrial use of additive manufacturing for the production of metallic parts with high geometrical complexity and lot sizes close to one is rapidly increasing as a result of mass individualisation and applied safety relevant constructions. However, due to the high complexity of the production process, it is not yet fully understood and controlled, especially for changing (lot size one) part geometries.
Due to the thermal nature of the Laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process – where parts are built up layer-wise by melting metal powder via laser - the properties of the produced part are strongly governed by its thermal history. Thus, a promising route for process monitoring is the use of thermography. However, the reconstruction of temperature information from thermographic data relies on the knowledge of the surface emissivity at each position on the part. Since the emissivity is strongly changing during the process due to phase changes, great temperature gradients, possible oxidation, and other potential influencing factors, the extraction of real temperature data from thermographic images is challenging. While the temperature development in and around the melt pool, where melting and solidification occur is most important for the development of the part properties. Also, the emissivity changes are most severe in this area, rendering the temperature deduction most challenging.
A possible route to overcome the entanglement of temperature and emissivity in the thermal radiation is the use of hyperspectral imaging in combination with temperature emissivity separation (TES) algorithms. As a first step towards the combined temperature and emissivity determination in the L-PBF process, here, we use a hyperspectral line camera system operating in the short-wave infrared region (0.9 µm to 1.7 µm) to measure the spectral radiance emitted. In this setup, the melt pool of the L-PBF process migrates through the camera’s 1D field of view, so that the radiation intensities are recorded simultaneously for multiple different wavelength ranges in a spatially resolved manner. At sufficiently high acquisition frame rate, an effective melt pool image can be reconstructed. Using the grey body approximation (emissivity is independent of the wavelength), a first, simple TES is performed, and the resulting emissivity and temperature values are compared to literature values. Subsequent work will include reference measurements of the spectral emissivity in different states allowing its analytical parametrisation as well as the adaption and optimisation of the TES algorithms. An illustration of the proposed method is shown in Fig.1.
The investigated method will allow to gain a deeper understanding of the L-PBF process, e.g., by quantitative validation of simulation results. Additionally, the results will provide a data basis for the development of less complex and cheaper sensor technologies for L-PBF in-process monitoring (or for related process), e.g., by using machine learning.
Laser powder-based directed energy deposition (DED-L) is a technology that offers the possibility for 3D material deposition over hundreds of layers and has thus the potential for application in additive manufacturing (AM). However, to achieve broad industrial application as AM technology, more data and knowledge about the fabricated materials regarding the achieved properties and their relationship to the manufacturing process and the resulting microstructure is still needed. In this work, we present data regarding the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) behavior of Ti-6Al-4V. The material was fabricated using an optimized DED-L process. It features a low defect population and excellent tensile properties. To assess its LCF behavior two conventionally manufactured variants of the same alloy featuring different microstructures were additionally tested. The strain-controlled LCF tests were carried out in fully reversed mode with 0.3 % to 1.0 % axial strain amplitude from room temperature up to 400°C. The LCF behavior and failure mechanisms are described. For characterization, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and micro-computed tomography (µCT) were used. The low defect population allows for a better understanding of the intrinsic material’s properties and enables a fairer comparison against the conventional variants. The fatigue lifetimes of the DED-L material are nearly independent of the test temperature. At elevated test temperatures, they are similar or higher than the lifetimes of the conventional counterparts. At room temperature, they are only surpassed by the lifetimes of one of them. The principal failure mechanism involves multiple crack initiation sites.