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High-entropy alloys are known for their promising mechanical properties, wear and corrosion resistance, which are maintained across a wide range of temperatures. In this study, a CoCrFeNiCu-based high-entropy alloy, distinguished from conventional CoCrFeNi systems by the addition of Cu, which is known to enhance toughness and wear resistance, was investigated to better understand the effects of compositional modification on processability and performance. The influence of key process parameters, specifically laser power and scan speed, on the processability of CoCrFeNiCu-based high-entropy alloys produced by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing was investigated, with a focus of low laser power, which is critical for minimizing defects and improving the resulting microstructure and mechanical performance. The printed sample density gradually increases with higher volumetric energy density, achieving densities exceeding 99.0%. However, at higher energy densities, the samples exhibit susceptibility to hot cracking, an issue that cannot be mitigated by adjusting the process parameters. Mechanical properties under optimized parameters were further evaluated using Charpy impact and (in situ) tensile tests. These evaluations were supplemented by in situ tensile experiments conducted within a scanning electron microscope to gain insights into the behavior of defects, such as hot cracks, during tensile testing. Despite the sensitivity to hot cracking, the samples exhibited a respectable ultimate tensile strength of 662 MPa, comparable to fine-grained steels like S500MC (070XLK). These findings underscore the potential of CoCrFeNiCu-based high-entropy alloys for advanced applications. However, they also highlight the necessity for developing strategies to ensure stable and reliable processing methods that can mitigate the susceptibility to hot cracking.
Integrity Assessment of Electron-Beam-Welded Joints of Additively Manufactured AlSi10Mg Components
(2023)
Abstract
Laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) is found to be a promising
processing method for the fabrication of components with no limits of complexity
by adding layers upon layers of material. However, drawbacks such as pro-
ductivity and dimension limitations adversely affect the employment of com-
ponents processed by additive manufacturing (AM) in envisaged applications.
This brings welding and joining techniques into play to integrate AM metal parts
into larger assemblies. In the present study, electron beam welding is used to join
the AlSi10Mg specimens, fabricated via two different manufacturing processes,
that is, PBF-LB/M and casting. The main focus is to study the quasistatic and
fatigue behavior of similar and dissimilar welded joints in different combinations,
namely AM–AM, AM–cast, and cast–cast, alongside thorough microstructure
analysis, to investigate the correlation between the microscopic and macroscopic
properties. Dissimilar welded joints demonstrate inferior material strength. This
fact can be attributed to the inherent coarse microstructure of the cast material.
Although similar welded joints of AM components suffer from high porosity in
the weld zone, they are characterized by a better fatigue life, which can be
attributed to the equiaxed eutectic microstructure in the welded area.
Directed energy deposition–electron beam (DED-EB) additive manufacturing is a highly promising process for the fabrication of titanium components, offering high deposition rates and precise process control under vacuum conditions. However, optimizing the deposition characteristics, such as dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and layer uniformity, remains a key challenge, partly due to the complex dynamics of heat input and melt pool behavior. This study examines the influence of electron beam modulation on these deposition characteristics by systematically varying beam deflection parameters, including frequency and pattern, during the wire-based additive manufacturing of titanium. The effects of beam modulation on wire melting, melt pool stability, layer formation, and overall build geometry were thoroughly evaluated. The results demonstrate that carefully controlled electron beam modulation enables significant improvements in deposition stability, surface finish, and control over geometric features, thereby enhancing process reliability and enabling the production of near-net-shape titanium components. Notably, a parameter set consisting of a circular beam deflection at an oscillation frequency of 500Hz and an overfocus setting of + 40 mA effectively minimized surface ripples and waviness, thereby enhancing process stability and yielding defect-free components. These insights contribute to advancing DED-EB as a viable solution for applications where high geometric accuracy and process efficiency are demanded.
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) has gained considerable interest due to its ability to produce lightweight parts with hierarchical microstructures. However, the current constraints on the build chamber size in powder-bed fusion type AM processes limit its industrial application. A hybrid welded joint, consisting of an AM-processed and a conventionally manufactured part, can be employed to produce larger components. Due to the varying processing conditions, these hybrid welded joints contain a wide range of microstructural heterogeneities, which influences the mechanical properties of the joint. Using a numerical model to predict the mechanical behavior of welded joints by considering the microstructural variations is essential for the safe and reliable implementation of hybrid welded joints. This study aims to predict the local tensile behavior of each region of a hybrid friction-stir welded joint of AlSi10Mg produced by laser-based powder bed fusion and casting using a microstructure-sensitive model as well as the global tensile behavior by considering the properties of each region using a joint macroscopic model. The results from this modeling approach agree well with the experimental results. Therefore, this method can predict the mechanical behavior of hybrid welded joints and can establish the structure–property relationship in each weld region.
Among all additive manufacturing processes, Directed Energy Deposition-Arc (DED-Arc) shows significantly shorter production times and is particularly suitable for large-volume components of simple to medium complexity. To exploit the full potential of this process, the microstructural, mechanical and corrosion behavior have to be studied. High stickout distances lead to a large offset, which leads to an instable electric arc and thus defects such as lack of fusion. Since corrosion preferentially occurs at such defects, the main objective of this work is to investigate the influence of the stickout distance on the corrosion
behavior and microstructure of stainless steel manufactured by DED-Arc.
Within the heterogenous structure of the manufactured samples lack of fusion defects were detected. The quantity of such defects was reduced by applying a shorter stickout distance. The corrosion behavior of the additively manufactured specimens was investigated by means of potentiodynamic polarization measurements. The semi-logarithmic current density potential curves showed a similar course and thus similar corrosion resistance like that of the conventionally forged sample. The polarization curve of the reference material shows numerous current peaks, both in the anodic and cathodic regions. This metastable behavior is induced by the presence of manganese sulfides. On the sample surface a local attack by pitting corrosion was identified.
Welding and joining of components processed by additive manufacturing (AM) to other AMas well as conventionally produced components is of high importance for industry as thisallows to combine advantages of either technique and to produce large-scale structures,respectively. One of the key influencing factors with respect to weldability and mechanicalproperties of AM components was found to be the inherent microstructural anisotropy ofthese components. In present work, the precipitation-hardenable AleSi10Mg was fabri-cated in different build orientations using selective laser melting (SLM) and subsequentlyjoined by friction stir welding (FSW) in different combinations. Microstructural analysisshowed considerable grain refinement in the friction stir zone, however, pronouncedsoftening occurred in this area. The latter can be mainly attributed to changes in themorphology and size of Si particles. Upon combination of different build orientations aremarkable influence on the tensile strength of FSW joints was seen. Cyclic deformationresponses of SLM and FSW samples were examined in depth. Fatigue properties of thisalloy in the low-cycle fatigue (LCF) regime imply that SLM samples with the building di-rection parallel to the loading direction show superior performance under cyclic loading ascompared to the other conditions and the FSW joints. From results presented solid process-microstructure-property relationships are drawn.

