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Laser-based additive manufacturing offers a high degree of thermokinetic flexibility that has implications on the structure and properties of the fabricated component. However, to exploit the flexibility of this process, it is imperative to understand the process-inherent thermokinetic evolution and its effect on the material characteristics. In view of this, the present work establishes a fundamental understanding of the spatiotemporal variation of thermokinetics during the fabrication of the non-ferrous alloys using the laser powder bed fusion process. Due to existing limitations of experimental techniques to probe such thermokinetics, a finite element method-based computational model is developed to predict the thermokinetic variations during the process. With the computational approach coupled with experimental techniques, the current work presents the solidification behavior influenced by spatially varying thermokinetics. In addition, it uniquely predicts the process-inherent multi-track multi-layer evolution of thermal cycles as well as thermal stress cycles and identifies their influence on the post-solidification microstructural evolution involving solid-state phase transformation. Lastly, the response of the material with a unique microstructure is recorded under various conditions (static and dynamic), which is again compared with the same set properties obtained for the same material processed via conventional routes.

Metallic biomaterials have an essential portion of uses in biomedical applications. Their properties can be tuned by many factors resulting in their process tuneability. Among metallic biomaterials for biomedical and specifically orthopedic applications, titanium and its alloys exhibit the most suitable characteristics as compared to stainless steels and Co-Cr alloys because of their high biocompatibility, specific strength (strength to density ratio), and corrosion resistance. According to their phase constitution, Ti-alloys are classified into three main groups, namely alpha, beta, and alpha+beta alloys. Depending on the degree of alloying and thermomechanical processing path, it is possible to tune the balance of α and β phases, which permits to tailor properties like strength, toughness, and fatigue resistance. (alpha+beta) Ti alloys, especially Ti-6Al-4V, are widely used alloys in biomedical applications; however, they have some drawbacks like the presence of toxic elements i.e., V and relatively high elastic modulus to that of bones. In view of the lower elastic modulus of body center cubic beta phase (50GPa<100GPa) compared to the alpha+beta, as well as due to their good mechanical properties, excellent corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility, beta-Ti alloys have been recently proposed as a valid alternative to alpha+beta ones. The growing interest in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques opens new and very interesting perspectives to the production of biomedical prosthetic implants. AM will prospectively allow implant customization to the patient and produce it on demand, with large savings on times and costs. Moreover, AM is gaining increasing interest due to the possibility of producing orthopedic implants with functionally graded open-cell porous metals. The main advantages of porous materials are the reduction of the elastic modulus mismatch between bone and implant alloy reducing the stress shielding effect and improving implant morphology providing biological anchorage for tissue in-growth. In this scenario, the first goal of the present PhD thesis work was to identify a high-performance β-Ti alloy formulation suitable to Laser-Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing. In particular, it explores the potential use of a β-metastable Ti alloy, namely Ti-15Mo-2.7Nb-3Al-0.2Si (Beta Ti21S, 21 wt.% of alloying additions, including Silicon) for biomedical applications. Through microstructural, mechanical, and cytotoxicity analyses, it could be shown that this alloy grade exhibits i) an unprecedented ultra-low elastic modulus, ii) improved cytocompatibility due to the lack of Vanadium, and iii) no martensitic transformation responsible for hard and brittle solidification structures. A second goal was to assess the manufacturability of metamaterials made of β-Ti21S via L-PBF. For this purpose, cubic cellular lattice structures of different unit cell sizes (and therefore different strut thickness) have been fabricated and characterized through microstructural analysis using different techniques, and computed tomography combined with linear elastic finite element simulations to identify the minimum cell size that can be printed with adequate dimensional and geometrical accuracy. Samples of the selected unit cell size were also tested to determine their static and fatigue properties. The main results show that i) the suitable manufacturing quality is obtained for strut thickness above 0.5 mm, ii) the mechanical tests place the present cellular structures among the best stretching dominated cellular lattice materials investigated to date in the literature, and iii) the fatigue tests showed a normalized fatigue strength at 107 cycles of close to 0.8, similar to cubic lattices made of Ti-6Al-4V, and higher than most cellular structures in the literature. In the last part of the thesis, a more complex octet truss structure was fabricated in the manufacturable cell size, and its mechanical properties were investigated. The octet truss topology can be beneficial both in terms of mechanical properties and biocompatibility by providing the different types of porosity suitable for bone in-growth.

This study focuses on the laser powder bed fusion processing of NiTi alloys and the feasibility of fabricating very thin stent structures for biomedical applications. A comprehensive correlation between the process and the material’s-structure and properties is established to facilitate the fabrication of NiTi alloys with tailored properties. In the first step, the impact of LPBF processing parameters and post-treatments on evolving the microstructure, texture, superelasticity, and asymmetry is examined. Subsequently, the feasibility of manufacturing very thin mesh structured stents is scrutinized followed by in-depth investigations into differently designed stents considering properties such as surface characteristics, mechanical properties, superelasticity, and recoverability. The obtained results and the represented discussions offer imperative insights, helping to better understand the complexity of the LPBF process and the present challenging aspects. Moreover, detailed contributions are made with the goal of paving the road ahead for the production of patient-specific NiTi stents with enhanced properties. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis aims to investigate the manufacturability of nickel-based superalloys, IN625 and IN718, using the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. The study provides a better understanding of the process-structure-property of nickel-based superalloys, their fatigue life, and subsequent post-processing. First, the process-structure-property was investigated by selecting a wide range of process parameters to print coupons for IN625 and IN718. Next, a subset of process parameters was defined that would produce high relative density (>99%), low surface roughness (~2 μm), and a low tensile RS. Second, a multi-scale finite element model was constructed to predict the temperature gradients, cooling rates, and their effect on RS. At constant energy density, RS is affected by scan speed, laser power, and hatch spacing, respectively. Third, the optimum set of parameters was used to manufacture and test as-built and shot-peened samples to investigate the fatigue life without costly heat treatment processes. It was found that shot peening resulted in a fatigue life comparable to wrought heat-treated unnotched specimen. Additionally, IN625 had a better fatigue life compared to IN718 due to higher dislocations density as well as the absence of γ´ and γ´´ in IN718 due to the rapid cooling in LPBF. Finally, the effect of post-processing on dimensional accuracy and surface integrity was investigated. A new approach using low-frequency vibration-assisted drilling (VAD) proved feasible by enhancing the as-built hole accuracy while inducing compressive in-depth RS compared to laser peening, which only affects the RS. These favorable findings contributed to the scientific knowledge of LPBF of nickel-based superalloys by determining the process parameters optimum window and reducing the post-processes to obtain a high fatigue life, a better dimensional accuracy, and improved surface integrity. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Additive manufacturing (AM) – and laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) specifically – constructs geometry that would not be possible using standard manufacturing techniques. This geometric versatility allows integration of multiple components into a single part. While this practice can reduce weight and part count, there are also serious drawbacks. One is that the LPBF process can only build parts with a single material. This limitation generally results in over-designing some areas of the part to compensate for the compromise in material choice. Over-designing can lead to decreased functional efficiency, increased weight, etc. in LPBF parts. Methods to control the material composition spatially throughout a build would allow designers to experience the full benefits of functionality integration. Spatial composition control has been performed successfully in other AM processes – like directed energy deposition and material jetting – however, these processes are limited compared to LPBF in terms of material properties and can have inferior spatial resolution. This capability applied to the LPBF process would extend manufacturing abilities beyond what any of these AM processes can currently produce. A novel concept for spatial composition control – currently under development at Brigham Young University – utilizes liquid or liquid-encased dopants to selectively alter the composition of the powder bed, which is then fused with the substrate to form a solid part. This work is focused on evaluating the feasibility and usefulness of this novel composition control process. To do this, the present work evaluates two deposition methods that could be used; explores and maps the laser parameter process space for zirconia-doped SS 316L; and investigates the incorporation of zirconia dopant into SS 316L melt pools. In evaluating deposition methods, inkjet printing is recommended to be implemented as it performs better than direct write material extrusion in every assessed category. For the process space, the range of input parameters over which balling occurred expanded dramatically with the addition of zirconia dopant and shifted with changes in dopant input quantities. This suggests the need for composition-dependent adjustments to processing parameters in order to obtain desired properties in fused parts. Substantial amounts of dopant material were confirmed to be incorporated into the laser-fused melt tracks. Individual inclusions of 100 $nm$ particles distributed throughout the melt pool in SEM images. Howewver, EDX data shows that the majority of the incorporated dopant material is located around the edges of the melt pools. Variations of dopant deposition, drying, and laser scanning parameters should be studied to improve the resulting dopant incorporation and dispersion in single-track line scans. Area scans and multi-layer builds should also be performed to evaluate their effect on dopant content and dispersion in the fused region.

This thesis is about laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) of the nickel-based superalloy: Alloy 247LC. Alloy 247LC is used mainly in gas turbine blades and processing the blades with L-PBF confers performance advantage over the blades manufactured with conventional methods. This is mainly because L-PBF is more suitable, than conventional methods, for manufacturing the complex cooling holes in the blades. The research was motivated by the need for academia and industry to gain knowledge about the processability of the alloy using L-PBF. The knowledge is essential in order to eventually solve the problem of cracking which is a major problem when manufacturing the alloy. In addition, dense parts with low void content should be manufactured and the parts should meet the required performance. Thus, the thesis answered some of the important questions related to process parameter-microstructure-defect relationships. The thesis presented an introduction in chapter 1. A literature review was made in chapter 2 to 4. In chapter 2, the topic of additive manufacturing was introduced followed by an overview of laser powder bed fusion. Chapter 3 focused on superalloys. Here, a review was made from the broader perspective of superalloys but was eventually narrowed down to the characteristics of nickelbased superalloys and finally Alloy 247LC. Chapter 4 reviewed the main research on L-PBF of Alloy 247LC. The methodology applied in the thesis was discussed in chapter 5. The thesis applied statistical design of experiments to show the influence of process parameters on the defects and microstructure, so a detail description of the method was warranted. This was given at the beginning of chapter 5 and followed by the description of the L-PBF manufacturing and the characterization methods. The main results and discussions, in chapter 6, included a preliminary investigation on how the process parameters influenced the amount of discontinuity in single track samples. This was followed by the results and discussions on the investigation of voids, cracks and microhardness in cube samples (detail presentation was given in the attached paper B). Finally, the thesis presented results of the microstructure obtainable in L-PBF manufactured Alloy 247LC. The initial results of the microstructure investigation were presented in paper A.

The interest for additive manufacturing techniques have in recent years increased considerably because of their association to good printing resolution, unique design possibilities and microstructure. In this master project, 316L stainless steel was printed using metal laser powder bed fusion in an attempt to find process parameters which yield good productivity while maintaining as good material properties as possible. Laser powder bed fusion works by melting a powder bed locally with a laser. When one slice of the material is done, the powder bed is lowered, new powder is added on top, and the process is repeated, building the components layer by layer. In this thesis, samples produced with a powder layer thickness of 80 μm and 100 μm has been investigated. Process parameters like laser power, scanning speed and hatch spacing were investigated in order to establish clear processing windows where the highest productivity and lowest porosity are obtained. The most common defects in all sample batches were lack of fusion, gas pores, and spatter related pores. The best samples with regard to both porosity and build rate were obtained at normalized build rates between 1,3-1,6 and porosity-values in the 0,01-0,1 % range.

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