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Fabrication of four-level hierarchical topographies through the combination of LIPSS and direct laser interference pattering on near-beta titanium alloy
Complex repetitive periodic surface patterns were produced on a near-beta Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy, using two-beam Direct Laser Interference Patterning (DLIP) employing a picosecond-pulsed laser source with wavelengths of 355 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm. Different types of Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) are produced, including low and high spatial frequency LIPSS, which are observed frequently on top of the line-like DLIP microstructures, as well as quasi-periodic microstructures with periods greater than the laser wavelength. The feature size of the fabricated LIPSS features could be tuned as function of the utilized laser process parameters.
Designing the microstructural constituents of an additively manufactured near β Ti alloy for an enhanced mechanical and corrosion response
Additive manufacturing of near β-type Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloys using the laser powder bed fusion process (LPBF) opens up new avenues to tailor the microstructure and subsequent macro-scale properties that aids in developing new generation patient-specific, load-bearing orthopedic implants. In this work, we investigate a wide range of LPBF parameter space to optimize the volumetric energy density, surface characteristics and melt track widths to achieve a stable process and part density of greater than 99 %. Further, optimized sample states were achieved via thermal post-processing using standard capability aging, super-transus (900 °C) and sub-transus (660 °C) heat treatment strategies with varying quenching mediums (air, water and ice). The applied heat treatment strategies induce various fractions of α, martensite (α', α'') in combination with the β phase and strongly correlated with the observed enhanced mechanical properties and a relatively low elastic modulus. In summary, our work highlights a practical strategy for optimizing the mechanical and corrosion properties of a LPBF produced near β-type Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy via careful evaluation of processing and post-processing steps and the interrelation to the corresponding microstructures. Corrosion studies revealed excellent corrosion resistances of the heat-treated LPBF samples comparable to wrought Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloys.