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At least 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Microstructural and compositional evolutions in $γ$-LiAlO 2 pellets during ion irradiation at an elevated temperature

This study reports on the microstructural, phasic and compositional evolutions of γ-LiAlO 2 during ion irradiation. Polycrystalline γ-LiAlO 2 pellets were irradiated sequentially with He + and D 2 + ions to the same combined fluences of up to 3 × 10 17 (He + +D + )/cm 2 at 773 K. The irradiated pellets were characterized using scanning transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. Surface amorphization likely due to radiolysis and planar defects as a possible precursor for formation of precipitates are created at 5 × 10 16 (He + +D + )/cm 2 , followed by the formation of nano-sized precipitates and fractures at higher doses. Spinel-like precipitates of non-stoichiometric LiAl 5 O 8 and gas-filled cavities are observed to grow with increasing dose. Faceted precipitates and rounded cavities appear at 2 × 10 17 (He + +D + )/cm 2 . With further increasing ion fluence to 3 × 10 17 (He + +D + )/cm 2 , amorphization of the precipitates takes place and micron-sized fractures appear. Surface exfoliation could occur at an extremely high ion fluence. There are compositional changes in the γ-LiAlO 2 pellets during the microstructural evolution. In the precipitate and amorphized regions, Li concentrations decrease to ~7 and 3.7 at.% from 25 at.% in γ-LiAlO 2 , respectively. This study reveals a full-cycle microstructural evolution with corresponding compositional changes in γ-LiAlO 2 pellets during ion irradiation at 773 K. In conclusion, the data could help model, assess, and predict the material performance during neutron irradiation in reactors.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Gas tungsten arc welding and post weld heat treatment effects on microstructure and mechanical property of castable nanostructured alloy steel

Here, this paper details the first study of castable nanostructured alloy (CNA) steel gas tungsten arc weldability and the post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) effects. Effects of welding heat input, thermal cycles, and PWHT on microstructures, microhardness distributions, room temperature tensile properties, and fracture characteristics are discussed. Results show that CNA steel exhibits excellent weldability (i.e., no indication of welding defects and reasonable tensile properties). The welded joint exhibited heterogeneous microstructures with δ-ferrite as well as large microhardness variation and fluctuation. The welded joint yield and ultimate tensile strengths were similar to those of the base metal, but the elongations decreased by 30 %. However, with normalization and tempering PWHT, the δ-ferrite was eliminated, microstructure was modified, hardness was unified, and joint ductility was restored. The study indicated that the CNA reduced-activation ferritic-martensitic steel owns excellent weldability, and PWHT is needed for the industrial application of welded structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Reduced-order model for microstructure evolution prediction in the electrodes of solid oxide fuel cell with dynamic discrepancy reduced modeling

Microstructure evolution in the electrodes of solid oxide fuel cell is an important degradation mechanism which reduces active sites for redox reaction and the electric conductivity. Phase field models for microstructure evolution simulation are usually expensive for large scale simulations. In this paper, a reduced-order coarsening model is developed using dynamic discrepancy reduced modeling, which reduces the model order by inserting Gaussian process stochastic functions into the dynamic equations of Ostwald ripening. The reduced order model has been calibrated on a dataset generated by a phase field model that has been well validated to experiments. A validating dataset has also been generated with which the model prediction show good agreement. This model is further applied to predict long term microstructure evolution in different SOFC electrodes. Finally, this work is the first attempt of building a degradation model of SOFC using data science techniques.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Size dependence of microstructure of AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Highlights: • Plate-shaped samples with various widths were fabricated via selective laser melting. • The hardness of AlSi10Mg samples slightly decreased with decreasing sample width. • The alloy sample size had a slight effect on microstructure of the α-Al matrix. • Precipitation of Si phase in α-Al matrix was enhanced by reducing the sample size. • The softening by reducing sample size is likely due to their slower cooling rate. - Abstract: In order to investigate the size dependence of microstructure of the AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) combined with a powder bed technique, plate-shaped AlSi10Mg alloy samples with various widths (ranging from approximately 10 mm to 0.3 mm) were produced in this study. All the fabricated samples exhibited characteristic microstructural morphologies consisting of melt pools with columnar α-Al grains surrounded by fine eutectic Si particles, whereas their sample sizes had a relatively small effect on the texture and average grain size of the α-Al matrix. However, the formation of fine Si precipitates inside the columnar α-Al grains was observed more often for the smaller-sized samples, which could be a possible dominant contributor to the observed softening of the sample by reducing sample size. The obtained results were utilized for discussing the size dependence of the strength of the SLM-manufactured porous alloy samples.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of intermediate annealing time on microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy

Highlights: • Long intermediate annealing time could be beneficial to the improvement of deep drawability. • Long intermediate annealing time could give rise to more particles with a larger average size. • As intermediate annealing time increases, strength will change and it has no positive correlation with annealing time, • A particle dissolution model is proposed to illustrate the variation of the strengths with intermediate annealing time. - Abstract: The effect of intermediate annealing time on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys was studied by mechanical properties, microstructure and texture characterization in the present study. The results show that the intermediate annealing time has some influence on the microstructure, recrystallization texture, and final mechanical properties. After the pre-aging treatment and natural aging treatment (T4P treatment), in contrast to the sheet with short intermediate annealing time, the sheet with long intermediate annealing time possesses higher plastic strain ratio r value. Strength has no positive correlation with annealing time, and when applying the annealing time of 16 h, the strength is highest. Before solution treatment, the sheet with long intermediate annealing time has more particles with a larger average size, compared with the sheet with short intermediate annealing time. After solution treatment, they possess the similar recrystallization equiaxed grain structure and recrystallization texture. The sheet with short intermediate annealing time is comprised of Cube{sub ND} {001} <310>, Goss {110}<001> and P {011}<122> orientations, while the sheet with long intermediate annealing time possesses weak texture including Cube{sub ND} {001}<310>, Goss {110}<001> and {015}<751> orientations. Finally, a particle dissolution model during solution treatment is proposed to explain the variation of strength with annealing time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructure and texture evolution of duplex stainless steels with different molybdenum contents

Highlights: • The 3.05Mo steel has higher resistance to strain-induced transformation than the 0.28Mo steel. • The increased Mo content affects the grain growth of austenite and ferrite due to the effects of segregation and anchoring. • At high annealing temperatures, this Mo retarding effect is weakened. • The suppression of γ-fiber development in the ferrite texture is associated with the increased Mo content. • High amounts of Mo generate unfavorable conditions for the formation of CSL boundaries. - Abstract: The microstructure and texture evolution of duplex stainless steels with different molybdenum contents were studied. For this purpose, hot-rolled 2205 and 2304 samples were solution-annealed at 1100 °C for 1800 s and then cold-rolled to a 75% thickness reduction. This was followed by an isothermal annealing at 900 and 1100 °C for 180 s. The EBSD technique was used to determine the phase ratio, crystallographic texture, and microstructural characteristics. The hot-rolled steel had a work hardened microstructure and the samples submitted to intermediate annealing presented mainly deformation-free grains. Cold rolling resulted in a substantial reduction in the phase spacing with the formation of the strain-induced α′-martensite (SIM) from the metastable austenite. After annealing at 900 °C, the ferrite grains retained the elongated shape of the cold-rolled condition and the primary recrystallization progressed in the austenite phase. Increasing the Mo content increased the resistance to strain-induced martensitic transformation and inhibited the grain growth of austenite phase during annealing at 900 °C. Increasing annealing temperature to 1100 °C promoted the coarsening of both bcc and fcc structures with the formation of annealing twins in the austenitic grains. The recrystallization kinetics and subsequent grain growth occur earlier in ferrite than in austenite phase. Differences in Mo content did not significantly alter the evolution of austenite texture, whereas in the ferrite phase the increase in Mo content suppressed the γ-fiber development. Oriented nucleation was the predominant mechanism observed during the recrystallization of ferritic grains in the 2205 samples. The development of ∑19a boundaries was associated with the selected growth of {554}<225>{sub α} grains in the annealed 2304 samples. Annealing twins were associated with the formation of Σ3 boundaries after the heat treatments. Grain coarsening resulted in a larger fraction of the special boundaries in ferrite phase but inhibited the CSL formation in the austenite phase.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructure and mechanical properties development of micro channel tubes in extrusion, rolling and brazing

Highlights: • Rolling and brazing greatly affect the properties of micro-channel tubes (MCTs). • The properties of MCTs are investigated by the evolution of the microstructure. • Strength is decreased by 47% at 5%-rolling reduction ratio and 3-minute brazing. • Ductile fracture mode is observed by OM at failure of MCTs under inner pressure. - Abstract: In addition to extrusion, the post-processing of rolling and brazing has significant effect on the mechanical properties of multi-port tubes. The aluminum micro channel tubes, especially the seam welding zone in the internal webs, are investigated in terms of mechanical tests, microstructure characterization, and finite element analysis. The effect of the post-process of rolling are quantified by varying amount of rolling reduction ratios. Tensile strength and pressure bearing capacity are determined by tensile tests and burst pressure tests, respectively. The evolution of the microstructure within the seam wielding zone is characterized by Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) and optical microscopy (OM). The fracture profile observed by OM indicates ductile fracture mode. The pressure bearing capacity is reduced by ~47% at 5% reduction ratio of rolling followed by 3-minute brazing, where largest grains are obtained due to abnormal grain growth.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Microstructural characterization of laser metal powder deposited Alloy 718

Highlights: • In as-deposited condition γ′ and γ″ were found in the interdendritic regions. • JMatPro simulations confirmed accelerated precipitation in interdendritic regions. • Depletion of Niobium was still found in the dendritic core after heat treatment. • The depletion of Niobium were more noticeable when using a high heat input. • γ″ particles were less well-developed in the regions depleted of Niobium. - Abstract: A microstructural study of Laser Metal Powder Deposition (LMPD) of Alloy 718, using a low (40 J/mm) and high (100 J/mm) heat inputs (HIs) was performed. The microstructure was characterized in as-deposited condition as well as after a standard heat-treatment, using optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). Laves, MC-carbides, γ′ and γ″ are observed in the interdendritic areas of both conditions. However, the dendritic core only consists of γ-matrix. The high HI condition shows a slightly larger Primary Dendrite Arm Spacing (PDAS) as compared to the low HI condition. Additionally, the particle size of the Nb-rich constituents in the interdendritic regions (Laves-phase and Niobium carbide) is larger in the high HI sample. After heat-treatment, the Laves phase dissolves and is replaced by δ-phase in the interdendritic regions, while γ′, γ″ and MC-carbide remain in the interdendritic regions. However, the γ″ precipitates seems to be less developed in the dendritic core as compared to the interdendritic regions, especially in the high HI sample. This can be attributed to a heterogeneous distribution of Nb in the microstructure, with a lower Nb content in the dendritic core as compared to close to the interdendritic regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

In-situ microstructural observation of Ti-Cu alloys for semi-solid processing

The semi-solid processing of metallic alloys strongly depends on the microstructural features exhibited by the raw material. Consequently, many characterization techniques have been used to elucidate semi-solid microstructures. In the present work, high-temperature laser-scanning confocal microscopy (HT-LSCM) was used to characterize Ti-Cu alloys intended for thixoforming. During the reheating stage, this in-situ technique enabled us to observe the Ti-β grains formed through the reverse eutectoid transformation. Furthermore, the results showed that thermomechanical treatment was primarily responsible for breaking up the dendritic microstructure. The liquid formation and peritectic temperature were easily determined via the HT-LSCM investigation. Prior to the reverse peritectic reaction, which corresponds to the onset of equilibrium melting, we obtained experimental evidence of the melting of non-equilibrium phases that originated via segregation during solidification. Finally, it was possible to qualitatively study the coarsening mechanisms that occurred in the semi-solid state. Irrespective of the alloy composition (liquid fraction), both Ostwald ripening and coalescence occurred during the isothermal heat treatments. Based on the obtained results, HT-LCSM can be considered a valuable technique for the characterization of thixotropic alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Characteristic constitution model and microstructure of an Al-3.5Cu-1.5Li alloy subjected to thermal deformation

The constitution model and microstructure of 2A97 Al-Li alloy during thermal deformation were investigated. The thermal deformation behavior was dominated by the interaction between work hardening and dynamic softening. The constitution model was constructed to predict the rheology behavior, in which Zener-Holloman equation with a fifth-order polynomial was set to describe the effect of various strains on the material parameters. Processing maps displayed to exist two unstable domains in microstructure (one domain with the temperature range from 300 °C to 370 °C and the strain rate range from 10{sup 0.5} s{sup −1} to 10s{sup −1}, and the other with the temperature range from 380 °C to 500 °C and the strain rate range from 0 s{sup −1} to 10 s{sup −1}). Microstructural characteristics of dynamic recovery (DRV) and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) in the stable domain and local rheology in the unstable domain were observed, respectively. The dynamic precipitation (DPN) of T{sub 1} phases and the interaction between dislocations and Al{sub 20}Cu{sub 2}Mn{sub 3} and Al{sub 3}Zr phases were concluded by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), which was the first experimental evidence for the DPN in 2A97 Al-Li alloy. All these confirmed the occurrence of the continuous dynamic recrystallization during thermal deformation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Effect of cooling rate on microstructure evolution of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y alloy during multi-step heat treatment

Highlights: • Novel ideas to control cooling rate during different phase transformation are proposed. • Cooling rates induced microstructure evolutions during the whole phase transformation are investigated. • Phase transformation texture and the characteristics of lamellar structures are related to cooling rate. - Abstract: Microstructure evolution of Ti-45Al-8.5Nb-0.2W-0.2B-0.02Y alloy (at.%) resulted from different cooling rates during the whole phase transformation process has been thoroughly investigated. The results show that the cooling rate during β → α transformation plays a crucial role in the modification of the crystallographic orientation relationship between the α grains and their parent β phase. The decrease of cooling rate can reduce the volume fraction of Burgers α grains and avoid the preferential distribution of lamellar interface traces. This could be attributed to the different nucleation and growth kinetics of α phase affected by the cooling rate. Moreover, the lamellar structure characteristics are closely related to the cooling rate during α → α{sub 2} + γ transformation and their responses to stabilization treatment shall vary accordingly. A fast cooling rate retains a high quantity of high temperature α/α{sub 2} phase. These α/α{sub 2} phase could decompose into ultrafine lamellar structure during subsequent stabilization treatment. While the average lamellar spacing of the slow cooled microstructure has a small increase by limited continuous growth of the pre-existing γ lamellae during stabilization treatment.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Continuous microstructure evolution of ball rolled TWIP Ti15Mo alloy and its effect on phase precipitation behavior

Highlights: • Gradient microstructure was induced by ball rolling method in a Ti15Mo alloy. • Twin density increased and then decreased as increasing distance from surface. • Ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure was formed in the heavily deformed region. • α-phase in plate was precipitated in twined region in slightly deformed region. • Strengthening by formation of sub/nano-grains was notable than that by twins. - Abstract: A β-type Ti15Mo alloy with {332}<113> twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) effect was utilized to investigate the continuous microstructure evolution of β-matrix by ball rolling method. Precipitation behavior of α-phase and strengthening mechanism were examined in regions with different strain. Amounts of intersected twins were present in the slightly deformed region of β-matrix, and their area fraction decreased with an increase of distance from rolled surface. The β-matrix close to surface was heavily deformed to result in the formation of abundant subgrains and nanograins, which was caused by cooperative occurrence of twinning refinement, intragranular dislocation activities and subgrain rotation. Mechanical twins provided the preferential nucleation sites for plate-like α-phase with strong variant selection. Equiaxed α-phase preferentially nucleated at the boundaries of subgrains and nanograins with weak variant selection to form the ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure. Due to the formation of subgrains and nanograins as well as the strain hardening, strengthening became more significant than that by twinning refinement solely. Similarly, the ultrafine (α + β) duplex structure exhibited a better strengthening effect than that by precipitation of plate-like α-phase. The diversities of deformation microstructure combined with different precipitation behaviors of α-phase are desirable for controlling the mechanical properties of β-type TWIP titanium alloys.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Hydrogen induced cracking susceptibility of API 5L X70 pipeline steel in relation to microstructure and crystallographic texture developed after different thermomechanical treatments

Highlights: • crack propagated mainly along deformed-banded microstructure. • Lower failure strength manifested at pipeline steel surface compared to the mid-thickness. • Greater fraction of martensite/austenite constituents featured in specimen WG relative to specimen WH. • Early onset of cracking in specimen WH showed no preference to specific crystallographic orientation. • Multi-component inclusion particle was revealed along crack propagation path. - Abstract: Thermomechanical treatments offer an innovative means of controlling microstructure development and improving resistance to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) in pipeline steel. This study was conducted on two X70 pipeline steels (labelled WG and WH) of the same chemical composition, but processed with different thermomechanical parameters. Specimen WG was hot rolled at a higher temperature range of 880–820 {sup °}C, while specimen WH was hot rolled between 830 and 760 {sup °}C before cooling at a rate of 25 {sup °}C/s. Early onset of HIC was observed in specimen WH after electrochemical hydrogen charging for 12 h in a solution of 0.2 M H{sub 2}SO{sub 4} and 3 g/l NH{sub 4}SCN, without any applied stress. Also, test pieces from the surface and mid-thickness layers of each pipeline steel were subjected to slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) test with in-situ hydrogen charging. Characterization techniques such as Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Electron Backscattered Diffraction and X-ray Diffraction were used to investigate the structure pipeline steel specimens. The role of inclusions on HIC was studied by Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Although the microstructure of both specimens were predominantly ferritic, more martensite/retained austenite (M/A) constituents featured in WG. Further crystallographic texture analysis indicates that grain orientation at the surfaces of both test specimens were similar with deviations towards <111> on the inverse pole figure (IPF); whereas, pole intensity at the mid-thickness deviated towards the <001> direction. Considering the increased fraction of banded-deformed grains with high stored energy, the lower HIC resistance of specimen WH in comparison to specimen WG was justified.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

The microstructure and property variations of metals induced by electric current treatment: A review

Heat treatment has been widely applied for manipulating the microstructure and properties of metals with thermal energy. The thermal energy triggers the atomic diffusion accompanied by dislocation movement and results in the subsequent property variations in metals. One of the attractive efforts in the past decades is the development of a direct treatment of metals with electric current stressing as an alternative method for conventional heat treatment. Electric current treatment provides thermal energy from Joule heat (thermal effect) and kinetic energy from electron momentum (athermal effect). This article reviewed the practices of electric current treatment, microstructure-property variations and the physical metallurgy involved in a variety of metals. Both thermal and athermal effects have been well recognized in the literatures. An appropriate manipulation of the electric current treatment enables the control of both effects and thus the microstructure and properties of metals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Advanced processing of EBSD data to distinguish the complex microstructure evolution of a Cu-Ni-Si alloy induced by fatigue

Highlights: • Microstructure investigation of the fatigue behaviour of a Cu-Ni-Si alloy • Use of ECCI and EBSD to investigate the microstructure evolution related to fatigue dislocations structures • Characterisation of local plastic accommodation through EBSD misorientation criteria - Abstract: The present work aims at identifying the evolution of the microstructure of a Cu-Ni-Si (Corson alloy) alloy after low cycle fatigue by means of advanced electron microscopy analysis techniques (SEM-ECCI, Orientation Imaging Microscopy by means of SEM-EBSD and TEM). Deep attention is paid on the material subjected to high cyclic strains where a transient cellular dislocation structure transformed into precipitate free bands. It is shown that the formation of dislocation cells leads to a high GROD and high GOSaera value and its standard deviation. However, the presence of precipitate free bands results in the low GOSarea level and its low standard deviation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Microstructural and material property changes in severely deformed Eurofer-97

Severe plastic deformation changes the microstructure and properties of steels, which may be favourable for their use in structural components of nuclear reactors. In this study, high-pressure torsion (HPT) was used to refine the grain structure of Eurofer-97, a ferritic/martensitic steel. Electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterise the microstructural changes. Following HPT at room temperature to a maximum shear strain of 230, the average grain size reduced by a factor of ~30, with a marked increase in high-angle grain boundaries. Dislocation density also increased by more than one order of magnitude. The thermal stability of the deformed material was investigated via in-situ annealing during synchrotron X-ray diffraction. This revealed substantial recovery between 450 K – 800 K. Irradiation with 20 MeV Fe-ions to ~0.1 dpa caused a 20% reduction in dislocation density compared to the as-deformed material. However, HPT deformation prior to irradiation only had a minor effect in mitigating the irradiation-induced reductions in thermal diffusivity and surface acoustic wave velocity of the material. Microstructural and material property changes are dominated by deformation compared to irradiation. In light of this, the benefits of using HPT to improve the irradiation resistance of Eurofer-97 are limited. These results provide a multi-faceted view of the changes in ferritic/martensitic steels due to severe plastic deformation, and how these changes can be used to alter material properties.

ion-irradiation↗
DOE OSTI2024

Influence of high-strain-rate compression and subsequent heat treatment on (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 refractory high-entropy alloys: Dynamic-mechanical behavior and microstructural changes

This study explored the dynamic-mechanical behavior of a novel low-density (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 refractory high-entropy alloy (RHEA) across strain rates ranging from 1.0×10 3 to 3.5×10 3 s –1 . A significant increase in the yield and ultimate compressive strengths with rising strain rates up to 3.0×10 3 s –1 was observed and attributed to enhanced dislocation activities and stress-induced microstructural transformations. The formation of the B2 phase and Zr 5 Al 3 precipitates was found to be crucial in bolstering the alloy strength at high strain rates. Beyond strain rates of 3.0×10 3 s –1 , a decrease in strength occurred due to thermal softening and strain localization. Microstructural analyses at 3.5×10 3 s –1 revealed grain refinement, the development of micro shear bands, and dislocation tangles, which were indicative of dynamic recrystallization. Besides, the findings also revealed that the post-dynamic compression heat treatment further enhanced the hardness and microstructural stability of the alloy. These results highlight the potential of the (TiNbZr) 89 (AlTa) 11 RHEA for applications requiring materials with high strength-to-weight ratios, particularly in dynamically loaded environments. It is expected that the results of this study will further advance our fundamental understanding of the behavior of RHEAs under extreme conditions, thereby opening new avenues for material innovation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Microstructure effects on fatigue crack growth in additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V

In this article we investigate the relationship between the different microstructural features in additively-manufactured (AM) Direct Metal Laser Deposited Ti–6Al–4V alloys and the observed fatigue and fracture behaviors, using high resolution Digital Image Correlation experiments and microstructural imaging. Fatigue cracks in the AM specimens were observed to periodically propagate parallel to the α' laths and deflect at prior β grain boundaries. Corresponding plastic strain distributions show needle-like regions of high strain that correlated to the α' laths, suggesting significant influence of the microstructure on the plastic zone. In many cases, the fatigue cracks also propagated towards voids from unsintered powder or gas entrapment in the vicinity. In several experiments, premature failure of the AM specimens occurred under monotonic fracture or cyclic fatigue loading, which we attribute to the presence of void clusters located near the crack-tip. These fatigue and fracture characteristics were similar for AM specimens of different build-orientations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗