In-situ Laser Powder Bed Fusion of an Aluminum-Iron-Zirconium Alloy during Synchrotron Tomography

Kurzfassung

The behavior of the structural Al-Fe-Zr alloy, Aheadd® CP1, during the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) process was investigated in-situ during synchrotron x-ray microtomography at the ESRF/BM18 beamline using a miniature LPBF machine. The data obtained provide information on porosity morphology and size distribution, as well as build quality as a function of printing strategy and geometry. Moreover, information about the porosity history from layer to layer that cannot be easily obtained by other methods was acquired. It was observed that the LPBF process is a partially self-healing process, in that pores formed in one location can heal after a few more layers are built up, while other pores form. This experiment informs our understanding of the underlying mechanisms and provides suitable data, such as morphology and distribution of porosity depending on material and printing parameters, for the validation of AM simulation models.