Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Peculiarities of Micro-Mechanical Behavior of 3D-Printed Aluminium Alloy: In Situ SEM Study

Version 1 : Received: 12 February 2021 / Approved: 12 February 2021 / Online: 12 February 2021 (12:17:22 CET)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Statnik, E.S.; Nyaza, K.V.; Salimon, A.I.; Ryabov, D.; Korsunsky, A.M. In Situ SEM Study of the Micro-Mechanical Behaviour of 3D-Printed Aluminium Alloy. Technologies 2021, 9, 21. Statnik, E.S.; Nyaza, K.V.; Salimon, A.I.; Ryabov, D.; Korsunsky, A.M. In Situ SEM Study of the Micro-Mechanical Behaviour of 3D-Printed Aluminium Alloy. Technologies 2021, 9, 21.

Abstract

3D-printed aluminium alloy fabrications made by selective laser melting (SLM) offer a promising route for the production of small series of custom-designed heat exchangers with complex geometry and shape and miniature size. Alloy composition and printing parameters need to be optimized to mitigate fabrication defects (pores and microcracks) and enhance the part performance. The deformation response needs to be studied with adequate characterization techniques at relevant dimensional scale capturing the peculiarities of micro-mechanical behavior relevant to the particular article and specimen dimensions. Purposefully designed Al-Si-Mg 3D-printable RS-333 alloy was investigated with a number of microscopy techniques including in situ mechanical testing with a Deben Microtest 1 kN stage integrated and synchronized with Tescan Vega3 SEM to acquire high resolution image datasets for Digital Image Correlation (DIC) analysis. Dog bone specimens were 3D-printed in different orientation of gauge zone cross-section with respect to the fast laser beam scanning and growth directions. This corresponds to varying local conditions of metal solidification and cooling. Specimens show variation in mechanical properties, namely, Young’s modulus (65…78 GPa), yield stress (80–150 MPa), ultimate tensile strength (115–225 MPa) and elongation at break (0,75–1,4 %). Furthermore, the failure localization and character was altered with the change of gauge cross-section orientation. DIC analysis allowed correct strain evaluation that overcame the load frame compliance effect and helped to identify the unevenness of deformation distribution (plasticity waves) that ultimately resulted in exceptionally high strain localization near the ultimate failure crack position.

Keywords

RS-333 alloy; SLM 3DP; in situ SEM tensile testing; DIC analysis; Ncorr

Subject

Engineering, Automotive Engineering

Comments (0)

We encourage comments and feedback from a broad range of readers. See criteria for comments and our Diversity statement.

Leave a public comment
Send a private comment to the author(s)
* All users must log in before leaving a comment
Views 0
Downloads 0
Comments 0
Metrics 0


×
Alerts
Notify me about updates to this article or when a peer-reviewed version is published.
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here.