skip to main content

Attention:

The NSF Public Access Repository (PAR) system and access will be unavailable from 11:00 PM ET on Friday, December 13 until 2:00 AM ET on Saturday, December 14 due to maintenance. We apologize for the inconvenience.


Title: Solidification crack propagation and morphology dependence on processing parameters in AA6061 from ultra-high-speed x-ray visualization
Solidification or hot cracks are commonly observed defects in a number of metal alloys and may lead to deterioration of additively manufactured parts quality. In this study, ultra-high-speed x-ray radiography experiments enable the observation and characterization of bundles of hot-cracks that form in monobloc AA6061 substrate. The crack bundles are related to meltpool characteristics and pore formation. Crack propagation rate is also presented for the case of a crack that initiates from a pore. Two types of relevant pore formation are also described, namely keyhole porosity and crack-remelting porosity. The results of this study are expected to facilitate the validation of theoretical and numerical models of solidification cracking.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1905910
PAR ID:
10233353
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Additive manufacturing
Volume:
42
ISSN:
2214-7810
Page Range / eLocation ID:
101959
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. In functionally graded materials (FGMs) fabricated using directed energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing (AM), cracks may form due to interdendritic stress during solidification, the formation of deleterious phases, or the buildup of residual stresses. This study builds on our previously proposed concept of FGM feasibility diagrams to identify gradient pathways that avoid deleterious phases in FGMs by also considering hot cracking. Here, five hot cracking criteria were integrated into the feasibility diagrams, and equilibrium simulations were carried out based on Scheil results (termed hybrid Scheil-equilibrium simulation) to predict phase formation below the solidus temperature considering solidification micro-segregation. The new feasibility diagrams were applied to four previously studied FGMs, and the newly proposed approach predicted high crack susceptibility, detrimental phase formation, or interdendritic BCC phase formation in the experimentally observed cracking region. This demonstrates the utility of the proposed framework for crack prediction in the design of future FGMs gradient pathways. 
    more » « less
  2. Nanoporous gold (np-Au) has found its use in applications ranging from catalysis to biosensing, where pore morphology plays a critical role in performance. While the morphology evolution of bulk np-Au has been widely studied, knowledge about its thin-film form is limited. This work hypothesizes that the mechanical compliance of the thin film substrate can play a critical role in the morphology evolution. Via experimental and finite-element-analysis approaches, we investigate the morphological variation in np-Au thin films deposited on compliant silicone (PDMS) substrates of a range of thicknesses anchored on rigid glass supports and compare those to the morphology of np-Au deposited on glass. More macroscopic (10 s to 100 s of microns) cracks and discrete islands form in the np-Au films on PDMS compared to on glass. Conversely, uniformly distributed microscopic (100 s of nanometers) cracks form in greater numbers in the np-Au films on glass than those on PDMS, with the cracks located within the discrete islands. The np-Au films on glass also show larger ligament and pore sizes, possibly due to higher residual stresses compared to the np-Au/PDMS films. The effective elastic modulus of the substrate layers decreases with increasing PDMS thickness, resulting in secondary np-Au morphology effects, including a reduction in macroscopic crack-to-crack distance, an increase in microscopic crack coverage, and a widening of the microscopic cracks. However, changes in the ligament/pore widths with PDMS thickness are negligible, allowing for independent optimization for cracking. We expect these results to inform the integration of functional np-Au films on compliant substrates into emerging applications, including flexible electronics.

     
    more » « less
  3. Cracks and pores are two common defects in metallic additive manufacturing (AM) parts. In this paper, deep learning-based image analysis is performed for defect (cracks and pores) classification/detection based on SEM images of metallic AM parts. Three different levels of complexities, namely, defect classification, defect detection and defect image segmentation, are successfully achieved using a simple CNN model, the YOLOv4 model and the Detectron2 object detection library, respectively. The tuned CNN model can classify any single defect as either a crack or pore at almost 100% accuracy. The other two models can identify more than 90% of the cracks and pores in the testing images. In addition to the application of static image analysis, defect detection is also successfully applied on a video which mimics the AM process control images. The trained Detectron2 model can identify almost all the pores and cracks that exist in the original video. This study lays a foundation for future in situ process monitoring of the 3D printing process. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Hydrogen-induced porosity formed during solidification of aluminum-based alloys has been a major issue adversely affecting the performance of solidification products such as castings, welds or additively manufactured components. A three-dimensional cellular automaton model was developed, for the first time, to predict the formation and evolution of hydrogen porosity coupled with grain growth during solidification of a ternary Al-7wt.%Si-0.3wt.%Mg alloy. The simulation results fully describe the concurrent nucleation and evolution of both alloy grains and hydrogen porosity, yielding the morphology of multiple grains as well as the porosity size and distribution. This model, successfully validated by X-ray micro-tomographic measurements and optical microscopy of a wedge die casting, provides a critical tool for minimizing/controlling porosity formation in solidification products.

     
    more » « less
  5. Abstract

    The Endeavour segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge is one of the most active and long‐lived hydrothermal areas of the mid‐ocean ridge system. However, the permeability structure that gives rise to long‐term venting at well‐established fields, such as the High Rise, Main Endeavour, and Mothra fields, is not fully understood. Here we jointly invertPgandSgtraveltimes from a seismic refraction experiment conducted at the Endeavour segment usingP‐to‐Scoupling constraints. We then calculate porosity and crack density as a function of crack aspect ratio by applying the differential effective medium theory to the seismic velocities. At 1.4‐km depth, averageVp~5 km off axis increases by ~0.4 km/s compared to the ridge axis. The averageVp/Vshas a minimum of ~1.75 on the ridge axis and increases to a maximum of ~1.84 off axis. The inferred porosity and crack density distributions show that the proportion of thick versus thin cracks decreases from the ridge axis to the flanks, since theoretical models indicate thatVp/Vsincreases going from thick to thin cracks (aspect ratio decreasing from 0.1 to 0.01). The dominant presence of thick cracks on the axis may provide long‐term conduits for upflow in high‐temperature hydrothermal circulation potentially forming the vent fields. The increased proportion of thin cracks on the flanks, coupled with the increased seismic velocity, indicates a decrease in permeability caused by progressive clogging of thick cracks due to mineral precipitation likely in the downflow zone of hydrothermal circulation.

     
    more » « less