Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is a popular additive manufacturing process to produce printed polymer components, whereby their strength is highly dependent on the process parameters. The raster angle and infill pattern are two key process parameters and their effects on flexural properties need further research. Therefore, the present study aimed to print test specimens with varying raster angles and infill patterns to learn their influence on the in-plane and edgewise flexural properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) material. The results revealed that the highest in-plane and edgewise flexural moduli were obtained when printing was performed at 0° raster angle. In comparison, the lowest values were obtained when the printing was executed with a 90° raster angle. Regarding the infill pattern, the tri-hexagon pattern showed the largest in-plane modulus, and the quarter-cubic pattern exhibited the greatest edgewise flexural modulus. However, considering both the modulus and load carrying capacity, the quarter-cubic pattern showed satisfactory performance in both planes. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the failure modes, i.e., raster rupture, delamination of successive layers and void formation. The failure occurred either due to one or a combination of these modes.

In this paper, the Electron Beam Welding (EBW) was used to join thin plates of low-nickel nitrogen-strengthened austenitic stainless steel (LNiASS), a material valued for its superior mechanical properties and cost-effectiveness. Traditional welding techniques often lead to issues such as hot cracking, reduced toughness, and undesirable microstructures. The objective was to address these challenges using EB·W., which offers precise control, minimal heat input, and deeper penetration. Methodology included joining LNiASS plates with E.B.W. and analyzing the resulting microstructures and mechanical properties through optical microscopy, tensile testing, microhardness testing, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The findings indicated the presence of various ferrite morphologies without significant precipitation of deleterious phases like carbides and sigma phase. The weldment strength was ∼90 % of the base alloy, with fractures occurring near the weld cord due to nitrogen loss and grain coarsening in the (HAZ). Microhardness increased by ∼12.9 %, attributed to microstructural evolution and a fine-grained structure. Impact testing in Charpy V-Notch (CVN) configuration showed the weld absorbed ∼50 % more impact energy than the base material, due to refined Microstructure and enhanced hardness. Longitudinal residual stress analysis indicated compressive nature below mid-thickness, resulting from thermal expansion and contraction during welding. These results demonstrated E.B·W.'s effectiveness in preserving mechanical properties and enhancing the performance of nitrogen-strengthened stainless steel welds.

In a dissimilar welded joint between Ni base alloys and titanium, creep failure is a potential concern as it could threaten to undermine the integrity of the joint. In this research, the mechanical heterogeneity of a Pulsed TIG welded joint between commercially pure titanium (CpTi) and Inconel 718 (IN718) with a vanadium (V) interlayer was studied through a nanoindentation technique with respect to hardness, elastic modulus, and ambient temperature creep deformation across all regions (fusion zones and interfaces, mainly composed of a dendritic morphology). According to the experimental results, a nanohardness of approximately 10 GPa was observed at the V/IN718 interface, which was almost 70% higher than that at the V/CpTi interface. This happened due to the formation of intermetallic compounds (IMCs) (e.g., Ti₂Ni, NiV₃, NiTi) and a (Ti, V) solid solution at the V/IN718 and V/CpTi interfaces, respectively. In addition, nanohardness at the V/IN718 interface was inhomogeneous as compared to that at the V/CpTi interface. Creep deformation behavior at the IN718 side was relatively higher than that at different regions on the CpTi side. The decreased plastic deformation or creep effect of the IMCs could be attributed to their higher hardness value. Compared to the base metals (CpTi and IN718), the IMCs exhibited a strain hardening effect. The calculated values of the creep stress exponent were found in the range of 1.51–3.52 and 2.52–4.15 in the V/CpTi and V/IN718 interfaces, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicated that the creep mechanism could have been due to diffusional creep and dislocation climb.

The formation of brittle intermetallics is a challenge for the direct joining of commercially pure titanium (CpTi) and Inconel 718 (IN718) alloy. In the present work, dissimilar weldments using the P-TIG (Pulsed-Tungsten Inert Gas) welding technique were produced, with elemental Niobium (Nb) as an interlayer. The insertion of Nb acted as a barrier and suppressed the interdiffusion of Ti and Ni across the interlayer resulting in no Ti _x Ni _y intermetallic compounds (IMCs) at the CpTi/IN718 dissimilar joint. Titanium (Ti) and Nb on CpTi side joined by solid solution (Ti, Nb) strengthening mechanism. Nickel (Ni) joined with Nb at IN718 side via eutectic reaction, where a diffused layer comprising of NbNi _3, and Nb ₇ Ni ₆ IMCs was found. Owing to the formation of brittle IMCs (NbNi _3, Nb ₇ Ni ₆ ), the diffused layer at Nb/IN718 interface exhibited the microhardness of ∼782 HV, which is ∼64% higher than the Nb/CpTi interface and considered highest in comparison to the other regions of the joint. The maximum tensile strength of the weldment was 150 MPa, which is significantly less than CpTi (360 MPa) and IN718 (850 MPa) base alloys possibly due to the presence of cracks in the diffused layer and the welded joint.

In the present work, Inconel 625 and Incoloy 800 thin sheets were TIG-welded without using fillers and at three different welding currents (40 A, 50 A, and 60 A). The influence of variation in welding currents on various characteristics of the weldments was investigated using various characterization techniques. Weldments obtained at 60 A showed the highest tensile strength and plastic deformation due to the formation of cellular dendritic microstructure in the fusion zone. Observation of the fractured surfaces revealed ductile nature for all the weldments. In addition, impact tests were performed at 25°C, 150°C, and 250°C, and the results indicated that with the rise in temperature, impact toughness decreased due to coarsening of carbides at grain boundaries in all the weldments. Furthermore, impact properties and hardness of weldments were also affected owing to the differences in interdendritic spacing and grain size. Weldments obtained at 40 A depicted higher nanohardness, whereas 50 A weldment showed relatively greater pileup height as compared to other weldments. Moreover, 60 A weldments showed highest longitudinal and transverse residual stresses due to relatively higher volumetric changes.