2021, Otto, M., Pilz, S., Gebert, A., Kühn, U., Hufenbach, J.

In the last decade, additive manufacturing technologies like laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) have emerged strongly. However, the process characteristics involving layer-wise build-up of the part and the occurring high, directional thermal gradient result in significant changes of the microstructure and the related properties compared to traditionally fabricated materials. This study presents the influence of the build direction (BD) on the microstructure and resulting properties of a novel austenitic Fe-30Mn-1C-0.02S alloy processed via LPBF. The fabricated samples display a {011} texture in BD which was detected by electron backscatter diffraction. Furthermore, isolated binding defects could be observed between the layers. Quasi-static tensile and compression tests displayed that the yield, ultimate tensile as well as the compressive yield strength are significantly higher for samples which were built with their longitudinal axis perpendicular to BD compared to their parallel counterparts. This was predominantly ascribed to the less severe effects of the sharp-edged binding defects loaded perpendicular to BD. Additionally, a change of the Young’s modulus in dependence of BD could be demonstrated, which is explained by the respective texture. Potentiodynamic polarization tests conducted in a simulated body fluid revealed only slight differences of the corrosion properties in dependence of the build design.

2022, Krooß, P., Lauhoff, C., Gustmann, T., Gemming, T., Sobrero, C., Ewald, F., Brenne, F., Arold, T., Nematolahi, M., Elahinia, M., Thielsch, J., Hufenbach, J., Niendorf, T.

Shape memory alloys (SMAs), such as Ni–Ti, are promising candidates for actuation and damping applications. Although processing of Ni–Ti bulk materials is challenging, well-established processing routes (i.e. casting, forging, wire drawing, laser cutting) enabled application in several niche applications, e.g. in the medical sector. Additive manufacturing, also referred to as 4D-printing in this case, is known to be highly interesting for the fabrication of SMAs in order to produce near-net-shaped actuators and dampers. The present study investigated the impact of electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB/M) on the functional properties of C-rich Ni50.9Ti49.1 alloy. The results revealed a significant loss of Ni during PBF-EB/M processing. Process microstructure property relationships are discussed in view of the applied master alloy and powder processing route, i.e. vacuum induction-melting inert gas atomization (VIGA). Relatively high amounts of TiC, being already present in the master alloy and powder feedstock, are finely dispersed in the matrix upon PBF-EB/M. This leads to a local change in the chemical composition (depletion of Ti) and a pronounced shift of the transformation temperatures. Despite the high TiC content, superelastic testing revealed a good shape recovery and, thus, a negligible degradation in both, the as-built and the heat-treated state.