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The combination of microstructural data with other experimental techniques and with modeling is paramount, if we want to extract the maximum amount of information on porous material properties. In particular, quantitative image analysis, statistical approaches, direct discretization of tomographic reconstructions represent concrete possibilities to extend the power of the tomographic 3D representation to insights into the material and component performance. I will show a few examples of possible use of X-ray tomographic data for quantitative assessment of porosity in ceramics.
Moreover, I will show how not-so-novel 2D characterization techniques, based X-ray refraction, can allow a great deal of insights in the damage evolution in microcracked (and porous) ceramics. I will show how X-ray refraction can detect objects (e.g. microcracks) below its own spatial resolution.
Finally, I will discuss the link between the microstructural findings and the mechanical properties of porous microcracked ceramics.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) in terms of laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) offers new prospects regarding the design of parts and enables therefore the production of complex structures. The quality of the feedstock material receives increasing attention, as it depicts the first part of the L-PBF process chain. The powder quality control in terms of flowability and powder bed packing density is therefore mandatory.
In this work, a workflow for quantitative 3D powder analysis in terms of particle size, particle shape, particle porosity, inter-particle distance and packing density was established. Synchrotron computed tomography (CT) was used to correlate the packing density with the particle size and particle shape for three different powder batches. The polydisperse particle size distribution (PSD) was transformed into a statistically equivalent bidisperse PSD. The ratio of the small and large particles helped to understand the powder particle packing density. While the particle shape had a neglectable influence, the particle size distribution was identified as major contributor for the packing density.
Layer-by-layer additive manufacturing (AM) by means of laser-powder bed Fusion (L-PBF) offers many prospects regarding the design of lattice structures used, for example, in gas turbines. However, defects such as bulk porosity, Surface roughness, and re-entrant features are exacerbated in nonvertical structures, such as tilted struts. The characterization and quantification of these kinds of
defects are essential for the correct estimation of fracture and fatigue properties.
Herein, cylindrical struts fabricated by L-PBF are investigated by means of X-ray computed tomography (XCT), with the aim of casting light on the dependence of the three kinds of defects (bulk porosity, surface roughness, and re-entrant features) on the build angle. Innovative analysis methods are proposed to correlate shape and position of pores, to determine the angular-resolved Surface roughness, and to quantify the amount of re-entrant surface features, q. A meshing of the XCT surface enables the correlation of q with the classical Surface roughness Pa. This analysis leads to the conclusion that there is a linear correlation between q and Pa. However, it is conjectured that there must be a threshold of surface roughness, below which no re-entrant features can be build.
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).
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 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.
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 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).
Absorption edge tomography, also known as differential tomography at absorption edges, is a method which exploits the sudden change of the attenuation coefficient, when the photon energy crosses the absorption edge of an element. Synchrotron radiation is the best source for absorption edge tomography, because of its small bandwidth, high intensity and easily adjustable photon energy. The synchrotron beamline BAMline at the synchrotron radiation facility BESSY II in Berlin, which is operated by the Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM), provides a monochromatized beam in a photon energy range from 5 keV up to 80 keV with a bandwidth of 2%, when the double multilayer monochromator is used. Together with the microtomography setup, this enables differential tomography with submicron resolution at the K edge of the elements from chromium up to the lanthanides, and up to uranium, when the L edges are used as well.
In this work, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) embedded in polymer are characterized using differential tomography. MOFs are microporous structures of metal ions, coordinated by organic linker molecules, that can be used in a broad field of applications, especially in gas storage and catalysis. In this work, polymer embedded MOFs were extruded into filaments, which could be used for 3d-printing to profit from the specific properties of the MOFs in polymeric materials combined with the arbitrary shapes provided by 3d-printing. For the extrusion, different polymer classes like ABS, polyester- and polyetherurethanes, as well as different MOFs (ZIF-8, ZIF-67, HKUST-1) were used to create MOF containing filaments with a nominal diameter of 3.0 mm. Differential tomography at the edges of the Zn, Co, and Cu was then used to find the distribution of the corresponding MOF in the filament and to analyze the shape of the inclusions.
The quality of components made by laser beam melting (LBM) additive manufacturing is naturally influenced by the quality of the powder bed. A packing density <1 and porosity inside the powder particles lead to intrinsic voids in the powder bed. Since the packing density is determined by the particle size and shape distribution, the determination of these properties is of significant interest to assess the printing process. In this work, the size and shape distribution, the amount of the particle’s intrinsic porosity, as well as the packing density of micrometric powder used for LBM, have been investigated by means of synchrotron X-ray computed tomography (CT). Two different powder batches were investigated: Ti–6Al–4V produced by plasma atomization and stainless steel 316L produced by gas atomization. Plasma atomization particles were observed to be more spherical in terms of the mean anisotropy compared to particles produced by gas atomization. The two kinds of particles were comparable in size according to the equivalent diameter. The packing density was lower (i.e., the powder bed contained more voids in between particles) for the Ti–6Al–4V particles. The comparison of the tomographic results with laser diffraction, as another particle size measurement technique, proved to be in agreement.
As opposed to reviewing results on experimental determination of residual stress by diffraction, this paper discusses the open issues when dealing with residual stress determination in additive manufactured parts, in particular those manufactured with laser powder bed fusion techniques. Three points are addressed in detail: (a) the proper determination of the strain-free reference d0, (b) the problem of the determination of the principal axes, and (c) the use of the correct diffraction elastic constants. It is shown that all methods to determine the strain-free reference d0 suffer from caveats, and care must be taken in evaluating the most suitable for the problem being tackled. In addition, it is shown that, in some systems, the principal axes do correspond to the geometrical axes of the specimen, but this needs to be systematically checked, especially in the case of uni- or bidirectional hatching strategies. Finally, the need to experimentally determine the proper diffraction elastic constants is underlined, especially in the case of strongly textured specimens, which again depends on the deposition strategy.
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.
Fiber-reinforced concretes (FRCs) offer significant improvements in tensile strength and durability compared to most other concrete mixes.
However, for safe and efficient use of FRC in large structures, anisotropy of fiber orientation needs to be understood and properly controlled. In this project, both cored samples extracted from a FRC slab and FRC samples cast individually in molds were assessed using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and measurements of fiber orientation were extracted from the resulting CT images. These results showed that fibers within the slab were highly anisotropic in orientation while fibers in individually cast samples showed a much more heterogeneous distribution of orientations.
This indicates that fiber orientation is highly dependent on the casting process and suggests that FRC can only be safely and efficiently utilized if anisotropic fiber orientation is properly accounted for during design and optimized casting methods are used during construction.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) in terms of laser powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) offers new prospects regarding the design of parts and enables therefore the production of lattice structures. These lattice structures shall be implemented in various industrial applications (e.g. gas turbines) for reasons of material savings or cooling
channels. However, internal defects, residual stress, and structural deviations from the nominal geometry are unavoidable.
In this work, the structural integrity of lattice structures manufactured by means of L-PBF was non-destructively investigated on a multiscale approach.
A workflow for quantitative 3D powder analysis in terms of particle size, particle shape, particle porosity, inter-particle distance and packing density was established.
Synchrotron computed tomography (CT) was used to correlate the packing
density with the particle size and particle shape. It was also observed that at least about 50% of the powder porosity was released during production of the struts.
Struts are the component of lattice structures and were investigated by means of laboratory CT. The focus was on the influence of the build angle on part porosity and surface quality. The surface topography analysis was advanced by the quantitative characterisation of re-entrant surface features. This characterisation was compared with conventional surface parameters showing their complementary
information, but also the need for AM specific surface parameters.
The mechanical behaviour of the lattice structure was investigated with in-situ CT under compression and successive digital volume correlation (DVC). The Deformation was found to be knot-dominated, and therefore the lattice folds unit cell layer wise.
The residual stress was determined experimentally for the first time in such lattice structures. Neutron diffraction was used for the non-destructive 3D stress investigation. The principal stress directions and values were determined in dependence of the number of measured directions. While a significant uni-axial stress state was found in the strut, a more hydrostatic stress state was found in the knot. In both cases, strut and knot, seven directions were at least needed to
find reliable principal stress directions.
A paradigm shift in the description of creep in metals can only occur through multi-scale imaging
(2022)
The description of creep in metals has reached a high level of complexity; fine details are revealed by all sorts of characterization techniques and different theoretical models. However, to date virtually no fully microstructure-driven quantitative description of the phenomenon is available. This has brought to interesting inconsistencies; the classic description of (secondary) creep rests on the so-called power law, which however: a- has a pre-factor spanning over 10 orders of magnitude; b- has different reported exponents for the same material; c- has no explanation for the values of such exponents.
Recently, a novel description (the so-called Solid State Transformation Creep (SSTC) Model) has been proposed to tackle the problem under a different light. The model has two remarkable features: 1- it describes creep as the accumulation of elementary strains due to dislocation motion; 2- it predicates that creep is proceeding by the evolution of a fractal arrangement of dislocations. Such description, however, needs a great deal of corroborating evidence, and indeed, is still incomplete.
To date, we have been able to observe and somehow quantify the fractal arrangement of microstructures through Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), observe the accumulation of dislocations at grain boundaries by EBSD-KAM (Electron Back-Scattered Diffraction-Kernel Angular Misorientation) analysis, quantify the kinetic character (solid state transformation) of experimental creep curves, and estimate the sub-grain size of the fractal microstructure through X-ray refraction techniques. All pieces of the mosaic seem to yield a consistent picture: we seem being on the right path to reconstruct the whole elephant by probing single parts of it. What is still missing is the bond between the various scales of investigation.
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.
About the Role of Interfaces on the Fatigue Crack Propagation in Laminated Metallic Composites
(2021)
The influence of gradients in hardness and elastic properties at interfaces of dissimilar materials in laminated metallic composites (LMCs) on fatigue crack propagation is investigated experimentally for three different LMC systems: Al/Al-LMCs with dissimilar yield stress and Al/Steel-LMCs as well as Al/Ti/Steel-LMCs with dissimilar yield stress and Young’s modulus, respectively. The damage tolerant fatigue behavior in Al/Al-LMCs with an alternating layer structure is enhanced significantly compared to constituent monolithic materials. The prevalent toughening mechanisms at the interfaces are identified by microscopical methods and synchrotron X-ray computed tomography. For the soft/hard transition, crack deflection mechanisms at the vicinity of the interface are observed, whereas crack bifurcation mechanisms can be seen for the hard/soft transition. The crack propagation in Al/Steel-LMCs was studied conducting in-situ scanning electron microscope (SEM) experiments in the respective low cycle fatigue (LCF) and high cycle fatigue (HCF) regimes of the laminate. The enhanced resistance against crack propagation in the LCF regime is attributed to the prevalent stress redistribution, crack deflection, and crack bridging mechanisms. The fatigue properties of different Al/Ti/Steel-LMC systems show the potential of LMCs in terms of an appropriate selection of constituents in combination with an optimized architecture. The results are also discussed under the aspect of tailored lightweight applications subjected to cyclic loading.
Typically, the near-eutectic Al-Si alloys consist of highly interconnected three-dimensional network of the eutectic Silicon (Si) and intermetallics embedded into Aluminium (Al) matrix. For further improvement of the mechanical properties of such alloys, often, one single ceramic reinforcement phase, e.g. silicon carbide (SiC) or aluminium oxide (Al2O3) in the form of fibres or particles is added. However, hybrid reinforcements (fibres and particles) can further improve wear resistance and fracture toughness, and additionally, reduce anisotropy of the material. The engineering of metal matrix composites (MMC) for specific application requirements benefits from a comprehensive knowledge of the failure behaviour. Therefore, damage evolution under compression was investigated on:
- pure near-eutectic AlSi12CuMgNi matrix alloy
- type I: matrix reinforced with random-planar oriented Al2O3 short fibres (15 vol.%)
- type II: matrix reinforced with random-planar oriented Al2O3 short fibres (7 vol.%) and additional SiC particles (15 vol.%)
The analysis of damage mechanism was carried out in two rather independent but complementary studies. First, selected sister samples of every material were exposed to quasi-static compression (traverse control). The compression tests were interrupted at different strain levels. Miniature cylinders with a diameter of 1mm were extracted from the pre-strained samples and investigated by synchrotron computed tomography (SX-µCT) with a spatial resolution of about 0.7 µm. For the pure matrix alloy, microcracks are confined to the intermetallic particles and to the eutectic Si, hence no damage was observed in the Aluminium. The composite type II revealed a more effective strain accumulation (less damage) than type I at low plastic strain (up to 5 %), but a more catastrophic damage development due to cracking of the SiC clusters at higher strain levels.
The second approach to study the damage initiation and accumulation in the materials subjected to compressive load was Acoustic Emission (AE) analysis. In this case the in-situ monitoring of the acoustic emission signal was performed during compression tests on specimens with dimension of several mm. For all three material types, AE activity set at 2% strain. Differences in AE behaviour of the three materials was proven based on AE hitrate, signal peak amplitudes as well as weighted peak frequencies (WPF). Future work focuses on combination of AE and SX-µCT aiming for more detailed knowledge on damage mechanism of metal matrix composites.
Adhesively bonded composite joints can develop voids and porosity during fabrication, leading to stress concentration and a reduced load-carrying capacity. Hence, adhesive porosity analysis during the fabrication is crucial to ensure the required quality and reliability. Ultrasonic-guided wave (UGW)-based techniques without advanced signal processing often provide low-resolution imaging and can be ineffective for detecting small-size defects. This article proposes a damage imaging process for adhesive porosity analysis of bonded composite plates using UGWs measured by scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). To implement this approach, a piezoelectric transducer is mounted on the composite joint specimen to generate UGWs, which are measured over a densely sampled area. The signals obtained from the scan are processed using the proposed signal processing in different domains. Through the utilization of filter banks in frequency and wavenumber domains, along with the root-mean-square calculation of filtered signals, damage images of the adhesive region are obtained. It has been observed that different filters provide information related to different void sizes. Combining all the images reconstructed by filters, a final image is obtained which contains damages of various sizes. The images obtained by the proposed method are verified by radiography results and the porosity analysis is presented. The results indicate that the proposed methodology can detect the pores with the smallest detectable pore area of 2.41 mm^2, corresponding to a radius of 0.88 mm, with an overall tendency to overestimate the pore size by an average of 11%.
Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have risen to prominence in many industrial sectors. This rapid success of AM is due to the freeform design, which offers enormous possibilities to the engineer, and to the reduction of waste material, which has both environmental and economic advantages. Even safety-critical parts are now being produced using AM. This enthusiastic penetration of AM in our daily life is not yet paralleled by a thorough characterization and understanding of the microstructure of materials and of the internal stresses of parts. The same holds for the understanding of the formation of defects during manufacturing. While simulation efforts are sprouting and some experimental techniques for on-line monitoring are available, still little is known about the propagation of defects throughout the life of a component (from powder to operando/service conditions). This Issue was aimed at collecting contributions about the advanced characterization of AM materials and components (especially at large-scale experimental facilities such as Synchrotron and Neutron sources), as well as efforts to liaise on-line process monitoring to the final product, and even to the component during operation. The goal was to give an overview of advances in the understanding of the impacts of microstructure and defects on component performance and life at several length scales of both defects and parts.
The additive manufacturing of low elastic modulus alloys that have a certain level of porosity for biomedical needs is a growing area of research. Here, we show the results of manufacturing of porous and dense samples by a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Ti-Nb alloy, using two distinctive fusion strategies. The nanostructured Ti-Nb alloy powders were produced by mechanical alloying and have a nanostructured state with nanosized grains up to 90 nm. The manufactured porous samples have pronounced open porosity and advanced roughness, contrary to dense samples with a relatively smooth surface profile. The structure of both types of samples after LPBF is formed by uniaxial grains having micro- and nanosized features. The inner structure of the porous samples is comprised of an open interconnected system of pores. The volume fraction of isolated porosity is 2 vol. % and the total porosity is 20 vol. %. Cell viability was assessed in vitro for 3 and 7 days using the MG63 cell line. With longer culture periods, cells showed an increased cell density over the entire surface of a porous Ti-Nb sample. Both types of samples are not cytotoxic and could be used for further in vivo studies.
Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is an additive manufacturing process for materials which inherently tends to yield various degrees of metastable hierarchical microstructures, defects and high residual stresses in the as-built condition depending on the process parameters. The understanding of the evolution of these typical features during heat treatment and subsequent thermal and mechanical ageing is crucial for the wider acceptance for safety critical structures. A multi-disciplinary research project at BAM studying the development of the microstructure, defects, residual stresses typical of LPBF 316L and their evolution during thermal and mechanical ageing has led to insights into the stability of these inherent features. This presentation aims to give a broad overview of the project with a few specific cases of investigation. Firstly, the formation of residual stresses, the nature of the initial microstructure, the tensile properties and a modelling approach to understand the anisotropy will be presented. This will be followed by examples of studies of their evolution during heat treatment, long term thermal exposure, and room temperature and high temperature mechanical testing compared to a baseline of conventional wrought variant of the same alloy.
An overview of the BAM funed Focus Area Materials Project "AGIL" will be presented. AGIL focussed on the stdiy of the ageing characteristics of additively manufactured austenitic stainless steel with a "powder to mechanical failure" Approach. Recent Highlights are presented and a perspective for future studies.
Having been introduced almost two decades ago, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-built condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
While surface stress fields seem constant for AB condition, X-ray diffraction shows stress gradients along the hatch direction in the RE condition. The stress profiles correlate with the distortion maps obtained by tactile probe measurements.
Neutron diffraction shows bulk stress gradients for all principal components along the main sample directions. We correlate the observed stress patterns with the hatch length, i.e. with its effect on temperature gradients and heat flow. The bulk stress gradients partially disappear after removal from the baseplate.
Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion.
We finally propose an explanation of those stress profiles based on the deposition strategy.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in the bulk of IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
The absolute values of all stress components decreased after removal from the build plate. Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion. Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component depending on the thermal gradient in the respective direction.
Having been introduced almost two decades ago, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
The absolute values of all stress components decreased after removal from the build plate. Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion. Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component depending on the thermal gradient in the respective direction.
Having been introduced almost two decades ago, Additive Manufacturing (AM) of metals has become industrially viable for a large variety of applications, including aerospace, automotive and medicine. Powder bed techniques such as Selective Laser Melting (SLM) based on layer-by-layer deposition and laser melt enable numerous degrees of freedom for the geometrical design. Developing during the manufacturing process, residual stresses may limit the application of SLM parts by reducing the load bearing capacity as well as induce unwanted distortion depending on the boundary conditions specified in manufacturing.
The residual stress distribution in IN718 elongated prisms produced by SLM was studied non-destructively by means of neutron (bulk) and laboratory X-ray (surface) diffraction. The samples with different scanning strategies, i.e. hatching length, were measured in as-build condition (on a build plate) and after removal from the build plate.
The absolute values of all stress components decreased after removal from the build plate. Together with surface scan utilizing a coordinate-measuring machine (CMM), it is possible to link the stress release to the sample distortion. Obtained results indicated different residual stress states for each of the transversal, longitudinal and normal component depending on the thermal gradient in the respective direction.
Analyse des gefügeabhängigen Löslichkeitsverhaltens potenziell AKR-empfindlicher Gesteinskörnungen
(2021)
Das gefügeabhängige Löslichkeitsverhalten wurde an folgenden vier Gesteinskörnungen unterschiedlicher Alkaliempfindlichkeitsklassen
untersucht:
• GK1 (EIII-S): quarzreicher Kies
• GK2 (EIII-S): Grauwacke (Splitt)
• GK3 (EI-S): Quarz-Feldspat-Porphyr (Splitt)
• GK4 (EI-S): sandsteinreicher Kies
DiePorenstrukturanalyse erfolgte sowohl an Einzelkörnern mittels vergleichender 3D-CT und BET- Untersuchungen als auch an Korngemengen der einzelnen Kornfraktionen (außer Fraktion 16/22 mm) über die Wasseraufnahme und mit BET. Für die Visualisierung und Quantifizierung der von außen zugänglichen Oberflächenanteile der Einzelkörner wurde ein Softwaretool entwickelt, erprobt und erfolgreich angewandt. Es gelang so u.a. den Nachweis zu erbringen, dass die gebrochenen Einzelkörner der Grauwacke und des Rhyoliths einen deutlich geringeren von außen zugänglichen Oberflächenanteil als die gleichartigen Gesteinskörner aus dem Kies besitzen. Aufgrund der limitierten Ortsauflösung der 3D-CT von 11 bis 16,5 μm wurde mit BET eine um drei Zehnerpotenzen höhere spezifische Oberfläche ermittelt.
Zu den Porositätsuntersuchungen an den Korngemengen sei angemerkt, dass zum Teil gegenläufige Trends zwischen offener Porosität und spezifischer Oberfläche festgestellt wurden. Dieses ist beim Bezug des bei den Löseversuchen in 0,1 M KOH mit definierter NaCl-Zugabe aus der Gesteinskörnung gelösten SiO2 und Al2O3 von zentraler Bedeutung. Bei den Löseversuchen an den fraktionsspezifischen Korngemengen selbst zeigte sich, dass die stufenweise Erhöhung des NaCl-Gehalts von 0 auf 10 M.-% im Eluat eine erhöhte SiO2-Löslichkeit und eine verminderte Auslaugung von Al2O3 zur Folge hat. Auffallend war hierbei, dass die Al2O3-Löslichkeit bei GK4 ohne und mit geringer NaCl-Zugabe die mit Abstand höchsten Werte annimmt. Bei den zusätzlich durchgeführten Löseversuchen an den tomografierten Einzelkörnern in 1 M KOH-Lösung mit Zugabe von 1 M.-% NaCl zeigte sich, dass nur vereinzelt bei den untersuchten Gesteinsarten eine Korrelation zwischen dem SiO2- bzw. Al2O3-Gehalt im Eluat und der absoluten BET-Oberfläche nachweisbar ist. Dies ist vermutlich darauf zurückzuführen, dass neben der Oberfläche weitere Parameter (z.B. die mineralogische Zusammensetzung der Einzelkörner) das Löseverhalten maßgebend beeinflussen. Bei den parallel zu den Löseversuchen durchgeführten Betonversuchen nach dem ARS 04/2013 zeigte sich, dass die Alkaliempfindlichkeit der GK4 bei beiden Betonversuchen mit Alkalizufuhr unterschiedlich zu bewerten ist. So ist unabhängig von der vorgegebenen pessimalen Betonrezeptur des Fahrbahndeckenbetons ausschließlich bei der Klimawechsellagerung die GK4 als alkaliempfindlich einzustufen. Allerdings konnte der Befund der stark ausgeprägten AKR bei der GK4 mit der Dünnschliffmikroskopie nicht bestätigt werden. Analoges gilt für die Bewertung der Alkaliempfindlichkeit von GK2 mit den Betonversuchen nach der Alkalirichtlichtlinie des DAfStb. So ist auch hier die GK2 nicht im 60 °C-Betonversuch sondern ausschließlich im 40 °C-Betonversuch als alkaliempfindlich einzustufen.
Dienach den verschiedenartigen Betonversuchen durchgeführten LIBS-Analysen am Vertikalschnitt der Prüfkörper zeigen, dass im Kernbereich nach dem 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 10 %iger NaCl-Lösung und nach der Klimawechsellagerung mit NaCl-Beaufschlagung annähernd gleich hohe Natrium- und Chloridgehalte vorgefunden werden. Wider Erwarten treten an den beaufschlagten Prüfflächen Abreicherungen von Natrium und Anreicherungen von Chlorid auf. Im 40°C- und 60 °C-Betonversuch wurde das Natrium bis in eine maximale Tiefe von ca. 30 mm bzw. 20 mm ausgelaugt. Die aufbauenden korrelativen Betrachtungen zwischen den Ergebnissen des 60°C Betonversuchs mit Alkalizufuhr und der Löseversuche an den fraktionsspezifischen Korngemengen in 1 M KOH-Lösung mit definierter NaCl-Zugabe sind durchaus vielversprechend. So zeigt sich beispielsweise beim Waschbeton, dass der fraktionsspezifisch gewichtete SiO2-Überschuss im Eluat nach 56 Tagen mit Zugabe von 0,5 M.-% NaCl ohne Bezug auf die BET-Oberfläche zur gleichen Einstufung der vier betrachteten Gesteinskörnungen wie bei den Dehnungen im 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 3 %-iger NaCl-Lösung führt. Außerdem korrelieren die im 60 °C-Betonversuch mit 10 %-iger NaCl-Lösung ermittelten Dehnungen mit dem gewichteten SiO2-Überschuss im Eluat bei Zugabe von 2 M.-% NaCl ohne Bezug auf die BET-Oberfläche.
Ausschließlich bei den Betonversuchen nach der Alkali-Richtlinie erwies sich der Bezug des im Eluat ermittelten SiO2-Überschusses auf die BET-Oberfläche als zielführend. Aufgrund des Potenzials der Löseversuche mit NaCl-Zugabe für die Bewertung der Alkaliempfindlichkeit der Gesteinskörnung im Fahrbahndeckenbeton wird empfohlen, die vergleichenden Untersuchungen zwischen den Löseversuchen an Korngemischen der einzelnen Fraktionen und den Betonversuchen nach dem ARS 04/2013 mit einer möglichst hohen Anzahl an Gesteinskörnungen und einem präzisierten Untersuchungsumfang fortzuführen.
In this talk the basics of X-ray computed tomography (XCT) are presented, together with a description of complementary techniques such as Laminography and Stereoradiography.
A overview of the common reconstruction approach and of the artifacts that can occur during reconstruction or acquisition of XCT images is also given.
Finally, application examples in the field of construction materials are given, whereby several experimental techniques (Region of Interest Approach) and data analysis methods (e.g. Digital volume correlation) are explained. Such techniques and algorithms are used to extract quantitative information from ex- and in-situ experiments.
The creep strengthening mechanisms in (age-hardenable) aluminum alloys are analyzed on the basis of a new microstructural study of powder samples, an analysis of a comprehensive revision of creep data from the literature, and a new modeling approach. A strategy based on the strength difference (SD) method to separate the contributions of solid solution atoms and precipitates to creep strengthening is proposed. The new methodology considers the combination of the two contributions avoiding the need of a threshold stress term in the creep equation. The contribution of both precipitates and solid solution is taken into account by means of the analysis of the lattice parameter variation with aging time. For this study, powders of two commercial AA2xxx alloys have been analyzed using diffraction methods. The experimental results are modeled using Lubarda’s approach combined with the SD method.
The creep strengthening mechanisms in (age-hardenable) aluminum alloys are analyzed on the basis of a new microstructural study of powder samples, an analysis of a comprehensive revision of creep data from the literature, and a new modeling approach. A strategy based on the strength difference (SD) method to separate the contributions of solid solution atoms and precipitates to creep strengthening is proposed. The new methodology considers the combination of the two contributions avoiding the need of a threshold stress term in the creep equation. The contribution of both precipitates and solid solution is taken into account by means of the analysis of the lattice parameter variation with aging time. For this study, powders of two commercial AA2xxx alloys have been analyzed using diffraction methods. The experimental results are modeled using Lubarda's approach combined with the SD method.
Die Brechung von Röntgenstrahlen (Röntgenrefraktion) an Grenzflächen zwischen Materialien unterschiedlicher Dichte ist analog zur Ablenk-ung von sichtbarem Licht an z.B. Glasoberflächen. Es gibt jedoch zwei wesentliche Unterschiede:
a) konvexe Grenzflächen verursachen Divergenz (d.h. der Brechungsindex n ist kleiner als 1), und
b) die Ablenkungswinkel sind sehr klein, und reichen von einigen Bogensekunden bis zu einigen Bogenminuten (d.h. n ist nahe bei 1);
Wie auch bei sichtbarem Licht ist die Ablenkungsrichtung der Röntgenstrahlen abhängig von der Orientierung der durchstrahlten Grenzfläche. Aufgrund dieser Eigenschaften eignen sich Röntgenrefraktionsmethoden hervorragend für:
a) die Erkennung und Quantifizierung von Defekten wie Poren und Mikrorissen und
b) die Bewertung von Porosität und Partikeleigenschaften wie Orientierung, Größe und räumliche Verteilung.
Wir zeigen die Anwendung der Röntgenrefraktionsradiographie (2,5D Technik) und der -tomographie (3D Technik) für die Untersuchung verschiedener Probleme in der Werkstoffwissenschaft und -technologie:
a) Sintern von SiC-Grünkörpern
b) Porositätsanalyse in Dieselpartikelfiltersilikaten
c) Faser-Matrix-Haftung in Metall- und Polymermatrixverbundwerkstoffen
d) Mikrorissbildung in Glaskeramik.
Wir zeigen, dass der Einsatz von Röntgenrefraktionsmethoden quantitative Ergebnisse liefert, die direkt als Parameter in Werkstoffmodellen verwendet werden können.
The 3D microstructure of an Al alloy matrix composite with two ceramic reinforcements was investigated by synchrotron X-ray tomography. A deep learning algorithm was used for the segmentation of four different phases. We show that convolutional networks with the U-Net architecture are able to solve complex segmentation tasks with small amount of training data.
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.
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 understanding of process-microstructure-property-performance (PMPP) relationships in additive manufacturing (AM) of metals is highly necessary to achieve wide-spread industrial application and replace conventionally manufactured parts, especially regarding safety-relevant applications. To achieve this understanding, reliable data and knowledge regarding material’s microstructure-property relationships (e.g. the role of defects) is needed, since it represents the base for future more targeted process optimizations and more reliable calculations of performance. However, producing reliable material data and assessing the AM material behaviour is not an easy task: big challenges are e.g. the actual lack of standard testing methods for AM materials and the occasional difficulties in finding one-to-one comparable material data for the conventional counterpart.
This work aims to contribute to end this lack of reliable material data and knowledge for the low cycle fatigue behaviour of the most used titanium alloy in aerospace applications (Ti-6Al-4V). For this purpose, two sets of test specimens were investigated. The first set was manufactured from cylindrical rods produced by an optimized DED-L process and the second was manufactured from a hot formed round bar. The test specimens were cyclically loaded until failure in the low-cycle-fatigue (LCF) regime. The tests were carried out according to ISO 12106 between 0.3 to 1.0 % axial strain amplitude from room temperature up to 400°C. The LCF behaviour is described and compared between materials and with literature values based on cyclic deformation curves and strain-based fatigue life curves. Besides, the parameters of Manson-Coffin-Basquin relationship were calculated. The microstructures (initial and after failure) and fracture surfaces were comparative characterized. Thereby, the focus lied on understanding the role of grain morphology and defects on the failure mechanisms and fatigue lifetimes. For this latter characterization, optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro computed tomography (µCT) were used.
In Additive Manufacturing everybody is talking about Free Form, Unconventional Design, Re-thinking Components, “Think out of the box”.
However, there are a few outstanding question: a) What are the material properties ? They certainly differ from literature values for conventional materials; b) How about the microstructure? It is different from conventional materials. Does it stay so with ageing? How does it form? c) Do we properly take residual stress into account? We often blame them for our ignorance about failure scenarios. d) Do we apply tailored heat treatments? Very often, we follow conventional schedules…
This talk describes the summary of the efforts carried out within the BAM Project AGIL.
At BAM, we aimed to thoroughly investigate the microstructure and how it evolves as a function of load and temperature (service), to determine the material properties after different process and service conditions, to properly determine residual stress and the way it impacts mechanical properties and component performance, to properly quantify the impact of (unavoidable?) defects, and to determine heat treatments tailored to the process-specific material (stress relieve, microstructure homogenization etc.).
The Project AGIL was and is intimately coupled with the project ProMoAM, dealing with online monitoring of AM processes.
Additive Manufacturing (AM) enables the unique capability of building highly complex parts with integrated functional design. One particular advantageous design feature is known as lattice structures, which provide opportunities for innovative applications in the high-temperature regime of gas turbines. Generally, manufacturing of these structures is already known to be achievable with AM, however proof of structural integrity and geometrical accuracy is not yet reliably established.
In this investigation, a systematic design-follows-complexity approach is utilized to pursue a holistic assessment of Ni based high temperature lattice. As the major element of lattice structures, single struts of different build orientations are investigated at first. This approach includes the application of Computed Tomography (CT), which allows for a non destructive assessment of quality criteria such as porosity and inner geometries as well as the parts’ metrology at a micrometre scale. The applied laboratory CT benefits from high magnification factors around 100 and voxel sizes down to a thousandth of the specimens’ diameter.
Preliminary results show a correlation between the inclination angle and the struts’ quality, which indicate a dependency of geometrical accuracy and structural properties to the AM process setup. Consequently, lattice structures require the development of reliable manufacturing to produce dependable characteristics.
While there is large potential for use of lattice structures in gas turbine and high temperature applications, the results indicate the strong need for an increased understanding of manufacturing and design as well as of the validation methods for these complex lattice structures.
Avoid living dangerously: non-destructive characterization of AM parts from powder to end-of-life
(2019)
The freeform and the revolutionary design possibilities offered by additive manufacturing have skyrocketed the amount of optimization studies in the realm of engineering, and metallic additive manufactured parts are becoming a reality in industry.
Not surprisingly, this has not been paralleled by a similar enthusiastic wave in the realm of materials science, and still very little is known about AM materials properties. This has the consequence that, typically, conventional materials properties are still used in design and even in simulations.
lt is necessary to dig a lot deeper than at present, in order to understand these new materials classes, and in particular their microstructure and their intemal stresses, largely different from their cast or wrought companions.
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.
With increasing demand and environmental concerns, researchers are exploring new materials that can perform as well or better than traditional materials while reducing environmental impact. The BAMline, a real-life sample materials research beamline, provides unique insights into materials’ electronic and chemical structure at different time and length scales. The beamline specializes in x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, and tomography experiments. This enables real-time optimization of material properties and performance for various applications, such as energy transfer, energy storage, catalysis, and corrosion resistance. This paper gives an overview of the analytical methods and sample environments of the BAMline, which cover non-destructive testing experiments in materials science, chemistry, biology, medicine, and cultural heritage. We also present our own synthesis methods, processes, and equipment developed specifically for the BAMline, and we give examples of synthesized materials and their potential applications. Finally, this article discusses the future perspectives of the BAMline and its potential for further advances in sustainable materials research.
Um das Material- und Schädigungsverhalten von additiv gefertigtem Polyamid 12 (PA12) unter quasistatischer Belastung zu charakterisieren, wurden mechanische Tests und Experimente zur Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur durchgeführt.
Die Proben wurden nach dem Prinzip des Selektiven Lasersinterns (SLS) hergestellt. Unter quasistatischer Belastung mit Haltezeiten ergab sich ein viskoplastisches Materialverhalten. Im Zugversuch wurde eine maximale Zugfestigkeit von 40.6 MPa und eine Bruchdehnung von 7.4% beobachtet. Mittels Digitaler Bildkorrelation (DIC) wurde die Ausbildung von Scherbändern während des Zugs nachgewiesen. Mittels Röntgenrefraktion wurde eine Erhöhung von inneren Oberflächen beobachtet, die senkrecht zur Zugrichtung orientiert sind. Die Analyse der Gesamtporosität aus Computertomographie-Messungen ergab keine Änderung infolge der Zugbelastung. Jedoch wurde eine bimodale Porengrößenverteilung und eine steigende Sphärizität festgestellt.
Das Materialverhalten wurde mit den Ergebnissen des Zugversuchs nach dem Chaboche Modell [3] in sehr guter Übereinstimmung simuliert. Allerdings gestattet dieses Modell nicht, das Bruchverhalten einzuschließen. Daher wurde zur Simulation des Schädigungsverhaltens das Modell gemäß dem Ansatz von Gurson, Tvergaard und Needleman unter Berücksichtigung der mikrostrukturellen Parameter erweitert. Während das Chaboche Modell eine homogene Spannungsverteilung generiert, zeigt das erweiterte Modell die Ausbildung von Scher¬bändern und die korrekte Bruchdehnung.
Der Schwerpunkt des Vortrages liegt auf den Röntgenverfahren zur experimentellen Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur.
Um das Material- und Schädigungsverhalten von additiv gefertigtem Polyamid 12 (PA12) unter quasistatischer Belastung zu charakterisieren, wurden mechanische Tests und Röntgenverfahren zur Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur eingesetzt. Die Proben wurden nach dem Prinzip des Selektiven Lasersinterns (SLS) hergestellt. Unter quasistatischer Belastung mit Haltezeiten ergab sich ein visko¬plastisches Materialverhalten. Im Zugversuch wurde eine maximale Zugfestigkeit von 40.6 MPa und eine Bruchdehnung von 7.4% beobachtet. Mittels Röntgenrefraktion wurde eine Erhöhung von inneren Oberflächen beobachtet, die senkrecht zur Zugrichtung orientiert sind. Die Analyse der Gesamtporosität aus Computertomographie-Messungen ergab keine Änderung infolge der Zugbelastung. Jedoch wurde eine bimodale Porengrößenverteilung und eine steigende Sphärizität festgestellt. Das Materialverhalten wurde mit dem Chaboche-Modell simuliert und ergab eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen. Allerdings gestattet dieses Modell nicht, das Schädigungsverhalten abzubilden. Daher wurde zur Simulation des Schädigungsverhaltens das Modell gemäß dem Ansatz von Gurson, Tvergaard und Needleman unter Berücksichtigung der mikrostrukturellen Parameter erweitert. Der Schwerpunkt des Beitrags liegt auf den Röntgenverfahren zur experimentellen Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur.
Um das Material- und Schädigungsverhalten von additiv gefertigtem Polyamid 12 (PA12) unter quasistatischer Belastung zu charakterisieren, wurden mechanische Tests und Röntgenverfahren zur Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur eingesetzt. Die Proben wurden nach dem Prinzip des Selektiven Lasersinterns (SLS) hergestellt. Unter quasistatischer Belastung mit Haltezeiten ergab sich ein viskoplastisches Materialverhalten. Im Zugversuch wurde eine maximale Zugfestigkeit von 40.6 MPa und eine Bruchdehnung von 7.4% beobachtet. Mittels Röntgenrefraktion wurde eine Erhöhung von inneren Oberflächen beobachtet, die senkrecht zur Zugrichtung orientiert sind. Die Analyse der Gesamtporosität aus Computertomographie-Messungen ergab keine Änderung infolge der Zugbelastung. Jedoch wurde eine bimodale Porengrößenverteilung und eine steigende Sphärizität festgestellt. Das Materialverhalten wurde mit dem Chaboche-Modell simuliert und ergab eine sehr gute Übereinstimmung mit den experimentellen Ergebnissen. Allerdings gestattet dieses Modell nicht, das Schädigungsverhalten abzubilden. Daher wurde zur Simulation des Schädigungsverhaltens das Modell gemäß dem Ansatz von Gurson, Tvergaard und Needleman unter Berücksichtigung der mikrostrukturellen Parameter erweitert. Der Schwerpunkt des Beitrags liegt auf den Röntgenverfahren zur experimentellen Bestimmung der Mikrostruktur.
The goal of the Special Issue “Brittle Materials in Mechanical Extremes” was to spark a discussion of the analogies and the differences between different brittle materials, such as, for instance, ceramics and concrete. Indeed, the contributions to the Issue spanned from construction materials (asphalt and concrete) to structural ceramics, reaching as far as ice. The data shown in the issue were obtained by advanced microstructural techniques (microscopy, 3D imaging, etc.) and linked to mechanical properties (and their changes as a function of aging, composition, etc.). The description of the mechanical behavior of brittle materials under operational loads, for instance, concrete and ceramics under very high temperatures, offered an unconventional viewpoint on the behavior of brittle materials. This is not at all exhaustive, but a way to pave the road for intriguing and enriching comparisons.
Additive manufacturing (AM) of metals and in particular laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) enables a degree of freedom in design unparalleled by conventional subtractive methods. To ensure that the designed precision is matched by the produced LPBF parts, a full understanding of the interaction between the laser and the feedstock powder is needed. It has been shown that the laser also melts subjacent layers of material underneath. This effect plays a key role when designing small cavities or overhanging structures, because, in these cases, the material underneath is feed-stock powder. In this study, we quantify the extension of the melt pool during laser illumination of powder layers and the defect spatial distribution in a cylindrical specimen. During the LPBF process, several layers were intentionally not exposed to the laser beam at various locations, while the build process was monitored by thermography and optical tomography. The cylinder was finally scanned by X-ray computed tomography (XCT). To correlate the positions of the unmolten layers in the part, a staircase was manufactured around the cylinder for easier registration. The results show that healing among layers occurs if a scan strategy is applied, where the orientation of the hatches is changed for each subsequent layer. They also show that small pores and surface roughness of solidified material below a thick layer of unmolten material (>200 µm) serve as seeding points for larger voids. The orientation of the first two layers fully exposed after a thick layer of unmolten powder shapes the orientation of these voids, created by a lack of fusion.
A powerful tool to understand, demonstrate and explain the limits of the pulsed technique in terms of detectability and localizability of AM keyhole pores has been assessed by comparing the active thermographic approach (both experimental and FEM simulations) to Computed Tomography results;
✓ µCT results demonstrate that the intended defect geometry is not achieved; indeed a network of voids (microdefects consisting of small sharp-edged hollows with a complicated, almost fractal, inner surface) was found;
✓ both Exp-PT and FEM results explains clearly why no indication of defect related to the thermal contrasts could be found during the investigation of an uncoated surface. However, the application of further data evaluations focusing on the thermal behavior and emissivity evaluation (PPT post data processing) enable the detection of some defects;
✓ coating facilitates a closer inspection of inner defects, but inhomogeneities of the coating could impair the spatial resolution and lead to the emergence of hotspots (the FEM simulation reached its limit with this extreme geometry where a 25 µm thin disc is considered at a 1 cm thick specimen in millisecond time resolution);
✓ both Exp-PT and FEM results allow the conclusion that very short pulses of 200 ms or shorter should be sufficient to detect these defects below, but near the surface; besides a short duration of the thermal phenomenon it should be emphasized, about 0.04 s (high frame rate camera);
Active thermography is a fast, contactless and non-destructive technique that can be used to detect internal defects in different types of material. Volumetric irregularities such as the presence of pores in materials produced by the Additive Manufacturing processes can strongly affect the thermophysical and the mechanical properties of the final component.
In this work, an experimental investigation aimed at detecting different pores in a sample made of stainless AISI 316L produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) was carried out using pulsed thermography in reflection mode. The capability of the technique and the adopted setups in terms of geometrical and thermal resolution, acquisition frequency and energy Density of the heating source were assessed to discern two contiguous pores as well as to detect a single pore. Moreover, a quantitative indication about the minimum resolvable pore size among the available and analysed defects was provided. A powerful tool to assess the Limits and the opportunities of the pulsed technique in terms of detectability and localizability was provided by comparing active thermography results to Computed Tomography as well as a related Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to simulate the pulsed heating transfer with Comsol.