Hybrid Surface Characterisation of Intra Thin-Walled Ti6Al4V Surfaces Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion Technology

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anand Kumar S ◽  
Ajay Kushwaha ◽  
Nagesha B K ◽  
Sanjay Barad
Keyword(s):  
Fractal Dimension ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Fusion Technology ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Surface Characterisation ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Powder Particles ◽  
Thin Walled ◽  
Imagej Software ◽  
Areal Surface

Abstract The proposed work investigates the hybrid surface characterisation of intra thin-walled Ti6Al4V surfaces fabricated using laser powder bed fusion technology. The thin-walled samples were characterised using scanning electron microscopy and Opto-digital microscopy techniques. The fractal dimensional analysis was performed using ImageJ software integrated with an open-source MultiFrac plug-in. The surface microscopy analysis revealed satellites powder particles, partially melted powder particles, spherical balling, and pores on the thin-walled surface. The fractal dimension establishes a correlation between the surface roughness values. The surface areal surface parameters analysis suggested variation along the build direction of thin-walled Ti6Al4V sample. The development of sharp peaks and thus higher Ra, Sku and Ssk values were found along the build direction of the intra thin-walled samples. Therefore, the combination of areal surface topography analysis and fractal dimension approach can be a promising methodology towards surface characterisation of additively manufactured complex thin-walled surfaces.

On the manufacturability of Inconel 718 thin-walled honeycomb structures by laser powder bed fusion

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
José M. Zea Pérez ◽  
Jorge Corona-Castuera ◽  
Carlos Poblano-Salas ◽  
John Henao ◽  
Arturo Hernández Hernández
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Inconel 718 ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Honeycomb Lattice ◽  
Lattice Structures ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Thin Walled

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of printing strategies and processing parameters on wall thickness, microhardness and compression strength of Inconel 718 superalloy thin-walled honeycomb lattice structures manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF). Design/methodology/approach Two printing contour strategies were applied for producing thin-walled honeycomb lattice structures in which the laser power, contour path, scanning speed and beam offset were systematically modified. The specimens were analyzed by optical microscopy for dimensional accuracy. Vickers hardness and quasi-static uniaxial compression tests were performed on the specimens with the least difference between the design wall thickness and the as built one to evaluate their mechanical properties and compare them with the counterparts obtained by using standard print strategies. Findings The contour printing strategies and process parameters have a significant influence on reducing the fabrication time of thin-walled honeycomb lattice structures (up to 50%) and can lead to improve the manufacturability and dimensional accuracy. Also, an increase in the young modulus up to 0.8 times and improvement in the energy absorption up to 48% with respect to those produced by following a standard strategy was observed. Originality/value This study showed that printing contour strategies can be used for faster fabrication of thin-walled lattice honeycomb structures with similar mechanical properties than those obtained by using a default printing strategy.

A Combined Experimental-Numerical Method to Evaluate Powder Thermal Properties in Laser Powder Bed Fusion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Cheng ◽  
Brandon Lane ◽  
Justin Whiting ◽  
Kevin Chou
Keyword(s):  
Heat Transfer ◽  
Thermal Conductivity ◽  
Thermal Properties ◽  
Thermal Diffusivity ◽  
Laser Flash ◽  
Powder Layer ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Powder Particles

Powder bed metal additive manufacturing (AM) utilizes a high-energy heat source scanning at the surface of a powder layer in a pre-defined area to be melted and solidified to fabricate parts layer by layer. It is known that powder bed metal AM is primarily a thermal process and further, heat conduction is the dominant heat transfer mode in the process. Hence, understanding the powder bed thermal conductivity is crucial to process temperature predictions, because powder thermal conductivity could be substantially different from its solid counterpart. On the other hand, measuring the powder thermal conductivity is a challenging task. The objective of this study is to investigate the powder thermal conductivity using a method that combines a thermal diffusivity measurement technique and a numerical heat transfer model. In the experimental aspect, disk-shaped samples, with powder inside, made by a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) system, are measured using a laser flash system to obtain the thermal diffusivity and the normalized temperature history during testing. In parallel, a finite element model is developed to simulate the transient heat transfer of the laser flash process. The numerical model was first validated using reference material testing. Then, the model is extended to incorporate powder enclosed in an LPBF sample with thermal properties to be determined using an inverse method to approximate the simulation results to the thermal data from the experiments. In order to include the powder particles’ contribution in the measurement, an improved model geometry, which improves the contact condition between powder particles and the sample solid shell, has been tested. A multi-point optimization inverse heat transfer method is used to calculate the powder thermal conductivity. From this study, the thermal conductivity of a nickel alloy 625 powder in powder bed conditions is estimated to be 1.01 W/m·K at 500 °C.

scholarly journals The Dimensional Accuracy of Thin-Walled Parts Manufactured by Laser-Powder Bed Fusion Process

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 91
Author(s):  
Josef Tomas ◽  
Leonhard Hitzler ◽  
Marco Köller ◽  
Jonas von Kobylinski ◽  
Michael Sedlmajer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stresses ◽  
Dimensional Accuracy ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Cooling Channels ◽  
Thin Walled ◽  
Scanning Strategies ◽  
Different Diameters ◽  
Functional Components

Laser-Powder Bed Fusion brings new possibilities for the design of parts, e.g., cutter shafts with integrated cooling channels close to the contour. However, there are new challenges to dimensional accuracy in the production of thin-walled components, e.g., heat exchangers. High degrees of dimensional accuracy are necessary for the production of functional components. The aim is to already achieve these during the process, to reduce post-processing costs and time. In this work, thin-walled ring specimens of H13 tool steel are produced and used for the analysis of dimensional accuracy and residual stresses. Two different scanning strategies were evaluated. One is a stripe scan strategy, which was automatically generated and provided by the machine manufacturer, and a (manually designed) sectional scan strategy. The ring segment strategy is designed by manually segmenting the geometry, which results in a longer preparation time. The samples were printed in different diameters and analyzed with respect to the degree of accuracy and residual stresses. The dimensional accuracy of ring specimens could be improved by up to 81% with the introduced sectional strategy compared to the standard approach.

scholarly journals Investigation of the Influence of Powder Moisture on the Spreadability Using the Spreading Tester

2021 ◽  
Vol 166 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22
Author(s):  
Marco Mitterlehner ◽  
Herbert Danninger ◽  
Christian Gierl-Mayer ◽  
Harald Gschiel
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Laser Powder Bed Fusion ◽  
Powder Bed ◽  
Moist Condition ◽  
Powder Particles ◽  
Superalloy Powder

AbstractMoisture is often regarded as one of the main reasons for poor processability of powders using Laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processes. To determine the influence of moisture on the spreadability, a superalloy powder IN718 commonly used for L‑PBF processes has been conditioned in two different states: once in the as-received and dry condition and once in a moist condition obtained by storing the powder for four weeks in an atmosphere containing a relative humidity of 75%. Using a self-built spreading tester and a subsequent analysis method specially developed for testing the spreadability of a powder, the differently conditioned IN718 powder batches have been investigated regarding the surface roughness and flatness of the powder layers. Additionally, the formation of empty spots between the powder particles in the top layer has been studied.

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