The rise of additive manufacturing has enabled new degrees of freedom in terms of design and functionality. In this context, this contribution addresses the design and characterization of structural unit cells that are intended as building blocks of highly porous lattice structures with tailored properties. While typical lattice structures are often composed of gyroid or diamond lattices, this study presents stackable unit cells of different sizes created by a generative design approach tomeet boundary conditions such as printability and homogeneous stress distributions under a given mechanical load. Suitable laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) parameterswere determined forAlSi10Mg to ensure high resolution and process reproducibility for all considered unit cells. Stacks of unit cells were integrated into tensile and pressure test specimens for which the mechanical performance of the cells was evaluated. Experimentally measured material properties, applied process parameters, and mechanical test results were employed for calibration and validation of finite element (FE) simulations of both the LPBF process as well as the subsequent mechanical characterization. The obtained data therefore provides the basis to combine the different unit cells into tailored lattice structures and to numerically investigate the local variation of properties in the resulting structures. / Durch die Einführung der Additiven Fertigung können neue Freiheitsgrade in Bezug auf Gestaltungsfreiheit und Funktionalität erreicht werden. In diesem Zusammenhang adressiert dieser Beitrag das Design und die Charakterisierung struktureller Einheitszellen als Bausteine für hochgradig poröse Gitterstrukturen mit maßgeschneiderten Eigenschaften. Während typische Gitterstrukturen oft auf Gyroid- oder Diamantstrukturen basieren, präsentiert dieser Beitrag stapelbare Einheitszellen unterschiedlicher Größe, die durch einen generativen Designansatz erstellt wurden. Hierdurch sollen verschiedene Randbedingungen wie eine gute Druckbarkeit und homogene Spannungsverteilung unter gegebenen mechanischen Lasten erreicht werden. Um eine hohe Auflösung und Reproduzierbarkeit der Einheitszellen zu erreichen, wurden für den verwendeten Werkstoff AlSi10Mg geeignete Druckparameter für das Laserstrahlschmelzen (LPBF) ermittelt. Stapel von Einheitszellen wurden in Zug- und Druckproben integriert, anhand derer die mechanische Stabilität der Zellen ermittelt wurde. Experimentell bestimmte Materialeigenschaften, die verwendeten Prozessparameter und die Ergebnisse der mechanischen Untersuchungen wurden anschließend für die Kalibrierung und Validierung Finiter Elemente (FE) Simulationen herangezogen, wobei simulationsseitig sowohl der Prozess des Laserstrahlschmelzens als auch die nachgelagerte mechanische Charakterisierung berücksichtigt wurden. Die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse sollen als Basis sowohl für eine gezielte Anordnung der Einheitszellen zu maßgeschneiderten Gitterstrukturen dienen als auch für die numerische Auswertung der lokal variierenden Eigenschaften der somit resultierenden Strukturen.

Microstructure and micro-mechanical characterization of as-built and heat-treated samples of Hastelloy X produced by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process has been carried out in this study. As-built LPBF blocks were solution heat-treated at 1177°C and 1220°C followed by fast cooling. The microstructure of as-built and heat-treated samples were studied by light optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. Instrumented indentation micro Vickers testing was performed to obtain microhardness and elastic modulus of asbuilt and heat-treated samples. Microtensile samples from as-built and heat-treated blocks were prepared and polished for mechanical characterization. Microtensile testing inside the scanning electron microscope was performed to evaluate the mechanical properties and to get information about the microstructural changes during plastic deformation. Microstructure characterization revealed disrupted epitaxial grain growth for the as-built samples whereas the two heated-treated Hastelloy X samples exhibited equiaxed grains with varying twin fractions. As-built Hastelloy X samples exhibited higher mean hardness than heat-treated samples. The yield strength of as-built samples reveals higher values as compared to conventional wrought Hastelloy X samples, whereas lower yield strength and higher elongation were observed for heat-treated samples as compared to as-built samples. Higher elongation and lower yield strength values were observed for the samples solution heat-treated at 1220°C compared to the solution heat-treated at 1177°C. Microstructural evaluation at different plastic strains during in-situ microtensile testing reveals a clear difference in dislocation density for as-built and heat-treated samples.

Additive manufacturing technologies, particularly electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB/M), are becoming increasingly important for the processing of intermetallic titanium aluminides. This study presents the effects of hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and subsequent two-step heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the TNM-B1 alloy (Ti–43.5Al–4Nb–1Mo–0.1B) fabricated via PBF-EB/M. Adequate solution heat treatment temperatures allow the adjustment of fully lamellar (FL) and nearly lamellar (NL-β) microstructures. The specimens are characterized by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray computed tomography (CT), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The mechanical properties at ambient temperatures are evaluated via tensile testing and subsequent fractography. While lack-of-fusion defects are the main causes of failure in the as-built condition, the mechanical properties in the heat-treated conditions are predominantly controlled by the microstructure. The highest ultimate tensile strength is achieved after HIP due to the elimination of lack-of-fusion defects. The results reveal challenges originating from the PBF-EB/M process, for example, local variations in chemical composition due to aluminum evaporation, which in turn affect the microstructures after heat treatment. For designing suitable heat treatment strategies, particular attention should therefore be paid to the microstructural characteristics associated with additive manufacturing.

Electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF-EB/M) has been attracting great research interest as a promising technology for additive manufacturing of titanium aluminide alloys. However, challenges often arise from the process-induced evaporation of aluminum, which is linked to the PBF-EB/M process parameters. This study applies different volumetric energy densities during PBF-EB/M processing to deliberately adjust the aluminum contents in additively manufactured Ti–43.5Al–4Nb–1Mo–0.1B (TNM-B1) samples. The specimens are subsequently subjected to hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and a two-step heat treatment. The influence of process parameter variation and heat treatments on microstructure and defect distribution are investigated using optical and scanning electron microscopy, as well as X-ray computed tomography (CT). Depending on the aluminum content, shifts in the phase transition temperatures can be identified via differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It is confirmed that the microstructure after heat treatment is strongly linked to the PBF-EB/M parameters and the associated aluminum evaporation. The feasibility of producing locally adapted microstructures within one component through process parameter variation and subsequent heat treatment can be demonstrated. Thus, fully lamellar and nearly lamellar microstructures in two adjacent component areas can be adjusted, respectively.

Electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) is a powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing process, which is suitable for fabricating high-performance parts for a wide range of industrial applications, such as medical and aerospace. Due to its deep curing capabilities, the metastable β-alloy Ti-5Al-5Mo-5V-3Cr (Ti-5553) is currently mostly used in the landing gear of airplanes. However, its great mechanical properties make it also attractive for small, complex, and load-bearing components. In this study, nine melting parameter sets, combining different scanning speeds and beam currents, were used in the EB-PBF ARCAM A2X system. Furthermore, the correlation between the microstructure and the mechanical properties was investigated and analyzed by applying µ-focus computer tomography and microscopic methods (optical, SEM/EDS). A significant influence of the different melting parameters on the microstructure as well as on the mechanical performance was found. In a subsequent step, three melting parameters were selected and the specimens were heat-treated (BASCA, STA) for further investigation. The experimental results of this work indicate that Ti-5553 parts can be manufactured successfully with high quality (ρ > 99.60%), and post-processing heat-treatments can be used to modify the microstructure in such a way that the parts are suitable for a large variety of possible applications.