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Heat Treatment and Additive Manufacturing of Alloys: Processing, Properties and Simulations

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Metals and Alloys".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 3320

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Qi Chao

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Guest Editor

Key Laboratory for Light-Weight Materials, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, China
Interests: metal additive manufacturing; thermomechanical processing; advanced characterization; coating

Dr. Hangyu Yue

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Guest Editor

School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, China
Interests: additive manufacturing; microstructure characterization; mechanical properties; TiAl alloy; strengthening mechanism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as three-dimensional (3D) printing, has been widely used to produce metal components with complex structures in aerospace, consumer products, healthcare, energy, automotive, marine, and other industries. The metallic components produced by AM have shown comparable or superior properties to those of conventionally manufactured (CM) counterparts. However, in situ or post-processing heat treatment is often required to reduce the defects, modify the microstructure, alleviate residual stresses, and adjust the properties of the metal parts produced by AM. The fundamental and technological challenges in heat treatment and AM of metallic alloys include the complex thermophysical phenomena, microstructure/defects/stress development, process design and numerical simulation, characterization/evaluation, and the correlation between alloy composition, processing, microstructure and properties, etc.

This Special Issue seeks to collect papers and provide state-of-the-art knowledge on new findings or developments in the heat treatment of AM metals. New insights into the microstructure, characterization, modelling/simulation, processing, properties (e.g. mechanical, corrosion, thermal), and their relationships of CM and AM metals are also welcomed.

Dr. Qi Chao
Dr. Hangyu Yue
Guest Editors

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Keywords

additive manufacturing
heat treatment
microstructure characterization
material properties
numerical simulation
defects
residual stress

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Formation of Ultrafine-Grained Dual-Phase Microstructure by Warm Deformation of Austenite in High-Strength Steel

by Wen Shu, Yingqi Fan, Rengeng Li, Qing Liu and Qingquan Lai

Materials 2025, 18(6), 1341; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18061341 - 18 Mar 2025

Viewed by 289

Abstract

Thermomechanical processing by applying deformation-induced ferrite transformation (DIFT) is an effective method of producing ultrafine-grained (UFG) ferritic steels, which usually present high yield strength but low strain hardening. In this study, we explored the concept of DIFT in the processing of UFG dual-phase (DP) steel, in order to improve its strain hardening capability and thus its ductility. The processing temperature was reduced to enhance the dislocation storage in austenite. It was found that the warm deformation of austenite induced a dramatic occurrence of DIFT, resulting in the formation of UFG-DP microstructures along the whole thickness of the specimen. In the UFG-DP microstructure, the average ferrite grain size was 1.2 μm and the ferrite volume fraction was 44 vol.%. The observation of twinned martensite suggests the occurrence of carbon partitioning during the DIFT process. The UFG-DP microstructure exhibited a good combination of strength and ductility, which was enabled by the synergy of the ultrafine ferrite grains and the efficient composite effect. The outcome of this study provides a novel pathway to develop advanced hot-rolled steels with a UFG-DP microstructure and which are associated with the advantages of their readiness to be scaled up and low costs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Treatment and Additive Manufacturing of Alloys: Processing, Properties and Simulations)

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15 pages, 5834 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Solution Treatment on the Microstructure and Elevated Temperature Tensile Properties of Forged Rene 41 Superalloy

by Xianguang Zhang, Haoran Han, Yang Zhou, Jiajun Chen, Shouli Feng, Pingmei Tang, Dongping Xiao, Jianhui Fu and Jian Zhang

Materials 2024, 17(24), 6150; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17246150 - 16 Dec 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 797

Abstract

The effects of a solution treatment on the microstructure and elevated mechanical properties of the forged Rene 41 superalloy were investigated. The results indicate that the solution treatment temperature has a significant influence on the γ′ structure and mechanical properties. The sub-solvus solution treatment resulted in the co-existence of residual primary coarse γ′ precipitates and fine secondary γ′ precipitates, while the super-solvus solution treatments led to the complete dissolution of the primary γ′ precipitates and the precipitation of a nano-sized secondary spherical γ′ precipitate. The tensile strength increased and then decreased when the solution temperature increased from the sub-solvus to super-solvus solution treatments. In addition, the solution treatment time has a negligible influence on the γ′ and overall mechanical properties due to the complete dissolution of γ′ during the solution treatment at 1080 °C for 1 h. Moreover, the cooling rate following the solution treatment plays a significant role regarding the size and morphology of γ′ and the mechanical properties. The secondary γ′ changed gradually from spherical to concave cubic and octo-cubic and coarsened with the decrease in the cooling rate, resulting in an apparent decrease in strength and increase in ductility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Treatment and Additive Manufacturing of Alloys: Processing, Properties and Simulations)

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20 pages, 3725 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Modified Johnson Cook Model-Based Kalman Filter Method to Determine the Hot Flow Behavior of Sustainable AA6082 Al Alloy

by Bandar Alzahrani, Ali Abd El-Aty, Sherif A. Elatriby, Arafa S. Sobh, Mohamed A. Bhlol, Abdullah A. Elfar, Muhammad Ali Siddiqui and Abdallah Shokry

Materials 2024, 17(21), 5169; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17215169 - 23 Oct 2024

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 744

Abstract

AA6082 alloys play a significant role in advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) by contributing to environmental sustainability, economic growth, and social well-being. These alloys are highly recyclable and align with SDG 12 by promoting resource efficiency and reducing waste. Their application in lightweight vehicles and improving energy efficiency in construction supports SDG 9 and SDG 11, as they help reduce carbon emissions and enhance the sustainability of urban environments. While AA6082 alloys offer significant advantages, their use has limitations that can hinder their industrial applications. One key challenge is their lower formability, particularly at room temperature. Elevated-temperature deformation is frequently employed to enhance the formability of these alloys and address their limitations. Thus, a deep understanding of the constitutive analysis of these alloys under a wide range of

T

and

\dot{ε}

is essential for manufacturing sound components from these alloys. Thus, this study aims to propose a new modification for the JC model (PJCM) and compare its reliability to predict the warm/hot flow behavior of AA6082 alloys with that of the original JC model (OJCM) and the modified JC model (LMJCM). By comparing the experimental results with these model results and confirming the determining correlation coefficient (R), average absolute relative error (AARE), and root mean square error (RMSE) values, it is concluded that the stresses predicted by the PMJCM closely match the experimental stresses of the LMJCM and OJCM because of the interaction between

\dot{ε}

ε

, and

T

, which might be a reason for the complex nonlinear behavior of AA6082 alloys during hot deformation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Treatment and Additive Manufacturing of Alloys: Processing, Properties and Simulations)

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13 pages, 7766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Post-Treatment on Micropore Evolution and Mechanical Performance in AlSi10Mg Alloy Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

by Qing Pu, Jinbiao Qian, Yingwei Zhang, Shangjing Yang, Hongshou Huang, Qi Chao and Guohua Fan

Materials 2024, 17(17), 4319; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174319 - 30 Aug 2024

Viewed by 1107

Abstract

Gas-induced porosity is almost inevitable in additively manufactured aluminum alloys due to the evaporation of low-melting point elements (e.g., Al, Mg, and Zn) and the encapsulation of gases (e.g., hydrogen) during the multiple-phase reaction in the melt pool. These micropores are highly unstable during post-heat treatment at elevated temperatures and greatly affect mechanical properties and service reliability. In this study, the AlSi10Mg samples prepared by LPBF were subjected to solution heat treatment at 560 °C for 0.5 and 2 h, followed by artificial aging at 160 °C, 180 °C and 200 °C, respectively. The defect tolerance of gas porosity and associated damage mechanisms in the as-built and heat treated AlSi10Mg alloy were elucidated using optical, scanning electron microscopic analysis, X-ray micro computed tomography (XCT) and room temperature tensile testing. The results showed the defect tolerance of AlSi10Mg alloy prepared by LPBF was significantly reduced by the artificial aging treatment due to the precipitation of Mg-Si phases. Fracture analysis showed that the cooperation of fine precipitates and coarsened micropores assists nucleation and propagation of microcracks sites due to stress concentration upon tensile deformation and reduces the tensile elongation at break. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heat Treatment and Additive Manufacturing of Alloys: Processing, Properties and Simulations)

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