Progress and Challenges towards Additive Manufacturing of Structural Materials

A special issue of Crystals (ISSN 2073-4352). This special issue belongs to the section "Crystalline Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 December 2024) | Viewed by 2902

Special Issue Editors

Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
Interests: additive manufacturing; metal; powder metallurgy; alloy design

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, G.G. Brown Laboratory 2350 Hayward, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Interests: composite materials; fusion bonding; thermoplastic composites; manufacture

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Guest Editor
Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
Interests: ion irradiation; nuclear materials; microstructure characterization; nanoindentation

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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
Interests: additive manufacturing; zinc ion batteries; lithium ion batteries
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing (AM) holds significant potential for the fabrication of structural materials, yet it faces significant challenges within the current methodologies such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), directed energy deposition (DED), and additive friction stir deposition (AFSD). Issues including hot cracks, porosity, residual stresses, and microstructural defects hinder industrial application. Furthermore, material selection and optimization complexities necessitate a deeper understanding. This Special Issue aims to highlight both progress and challenges in AM methods. Contributions exploring process optimization, materials development, and performance characterization are invited. We especially welcome practical studies on defect formation mechanisms and mitigation strategies. Theoretical modeling and simulation studies predicting and optimizing AM outcomes are vital for progress. These theoretical methods aid in speeding up material development and enhancing our understanding of AM technology. Therefore, we welcome contributions that expand knowledge in this area.

We eagerly await your contributions.

Dr. Huan Ding
Dr. Wencai Li
Dr. Pengcheng Zhu
Dr. Wangwang Xu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • additive manufacturing
  • defect mechanism
  • microstructure analysis
  • mechanical properties
  • optimization
  • AM simulation
  • alloy

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 32910 KiB  
Article
Microstructural, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Selective Laser Melted Inconel 718 Alloy: The Influences of Heat Treatment
by Ümit Gencay Başcı, Egemen Avcu, Mertcan Kıraç, Ahmet Sever, İdris Gökalp, Hasan İsmail Yavuz, Serkan Oktay, Eray Abakay, Yasemin Yıldıran Avcu and Rıdvan Yamanoğlu
Crystals 2025, 15(1), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15010018 - 27 Dec 2024
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Abstract
The present study investigates the microstructural, mechanical, and tribological properties of Inconel 718 alloy produced by selective laser melting (SLM) in relation to heat treatment. The SLM-processed samples received a two-step heat treatment: solutionizing at 1065 °C for 1 h, followed by double [...] Read more.
The present study investigates the microstructural, mechanical, and tribological properties of Inconel 718 alloy produced by selective laser melting (SLM) in relation to heat treatment. The SLM-processed samples received a two-step heat treatment: solutionizing at 1065 °C for 1 h, followed by double aging at 720 °C for 8 h and 620 °C for 6 h. The as-built sample exhibited a grain structure mostly characterized by fine Laves phases, while the hardening phases γ′ ((Ni3 (Al, Ti)) and γ″ (Ni3Nb) precipitated during the heat treatment. Following heat treatment, a transformation in crystallographic texture and dislocation density occurred, yielding a random texture and reduced dislocation density, particularly in the XZ direction, attributed to the formation of new grains via recrystallization in the microstructure. The grain size in the XY plane decreased following heat treatment, whereas the texture in the <001> direction remained unaffected. The heat-treated samples had significantly higher tensile strength (1330 MPa vs. 960 MPa) and hardness (530 HV vs. 340 HV) relative to the as-built samples. The wear resistance of heat-treated samples surpassed that of the as-built sample due to enhanced mechanical properties resulting from the fine and dispersed γ′ and γ″ precipitates in the microstructure with heat treatment. Full article
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24 pages, 10938 KiB  
Article
Indentation Behavior Assessment of As-Built, Solution, and Artificial Aged Heat-Treated Selective Laser Melting Specimens of AlSi10Mg
by Abubakr Shahnawaz Kamil, Muhammad Muzamil, Maaz Akhtar, Naser Alsaleh, Rashid Khan, Muhammad Samiuddin, Ali Khursheed Siddiqui, Junzhou Yang and Joy Djuansjah
Crystals 2024, 14(7), 610; https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst14070610 - 30 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1541
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the indentation behavior of thin AlSi10Mg specimens manufactured using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) in the as-built condition along with two post-treatments, namely solution heat treatment and artificial aging. Four different thicknesses of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 [...] Read more.
This study was conducted to determine the indentation behavior of thin AlSi10Mg specimens manufactured using Selective Laser Melting (SLM) in the as-built condition along with two post-treatments, namely solution heat treatment and artificial aging. Four different thicknesses of 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2 mm, and 2.5 mm of SLM specimens, with the different post-treatments, underwent standardized Rockwell hardness tests using a spherical indenter to determine their hardness values and assess the impression using a stereo microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The as-built specimens showed a trend of smaller indentation depths with increasing specimen thickness, and finally creased with 0.1547 mm depth at 2.5 mm. However, the post-treatments altered the behavior of the specimens to a certain degree, giving larger experimental indentation depths of 0.2204 mm, 0.1962 mm, and 0.1798 mm at 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, and 2.5 mm thickness, respectively, after solution heat treatment. Artificial aging showed a general decrease in indentation depth with increasing specimen thickness in contrast to solution treatment, and resulted in depths of 0.1888 mm and 0.1596 mm at 1.0 mm and 2.5 mm thickness. Furthermore, a material numerical model was made using stress–strain data on ANSYS Workbench to develop a predictive model for the indentation behavior of the specimens in contrast to experimentation. Under multi-linear isotropic hardening, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation produced indentation geometry with an average accuracy of 95.4% for the artificial aging series. Full article
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