4D characterization of a new Aluminum Alloy for Additive Manufacturing

Kurzfassung

Laser-based metal additive manufacturing (AM) is an innovative process that permits the fabrication of near net-shaped metallic components with complex geometries. The AM technique Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is used for the fabrication of near-net-designed metallic components with complex geometry and higher material efficiency, typically replacing multiple conventional components with savings in material, tooling and assembly costs. However, there are still several scientific issues that need to be overcome. Investigations on all relevant length scales for AM are required which means on the scale from several cm down to the submicron range. A novel Al-Zr-Fe alloy is investigated during in-situ processing and in-situ thermal treatments during synchrotron micro- and nano-tomogtaphy, respectively. This was done a the beamlines BM18 and ID16B of the ESRF in Grenoble, France. The results allowed to obtain information and understanding of mechanisms of defect formation and evolution during processing and microstructure evolution during post-processing.