An iterative procedure is described, which models the influence of the thermal expansion of the gyrotron cavity on the expected gyrotron performance. It is a multiphysics simulation method, which involves electrodynamic, thermal-hydraulic, and thermo-mechanical simulations. The method is applied to the first European 170-GHz, 1-MW continuous wave prototype gyrotron for the ITER. According to the simulations, a performance reduction of $~$15% is expected at nominal operating parameters, because of the thermal expansion of the cavity. Alternative operating points to mitigate this effect are proposed and numerically validated. The numerical results are discussed in light of experimental findings.

Today, in industry, laser-based additive manufacturing (LAM) is used to produce high-value parts of very complex designs that are not manufacturable by conventional technologies; this process’ low production throughput and high cost prevent it from being used more extensively. One way to exploit the benefits of LAM in industry is to have it combined with lower-cost manufacturing technologies. In a hybrid approach, LAM can be integrated within an assembly line’s welding station to complete the manufacturing of a product by depositing a foreign material on a substrate only where needed, or by building structures of complex 3D geometries (e.g., lattice structures) directly onto inexpensive preforms. To pave the way for using a hybrid approach design in real applications, as a prime requirement, the chosen technology must grant comparable structural integrity to its products with respect to its conventional counterparts. In this work, different types of surface pretreatments for substrates were investigated as a key enabling factor to tailor the bi-material system’s mechanical properties in use. Hybrid samples were made by depositing AlSi10Mg by direct metal laser sintering onto A356-T6 aluminum bases prefabricated by casting and forging, and their properties were compared with fully homogeneous samples that were conventionally produced. Specifically referring to the automotive use case, both these alloy grades were chosen for their extensive use in the production of motor vehicles. The testing campaign, characterized by microscopy, mechanical testing, and fatigue, revealed that the structural integrity of the hybrid samples is comparable with the benchmarks when standard heat treatments are adopted. This result makes the prospect of the exploitation of the hybridization concept as conceived very promising for the future.

In the last few years, there has been increasing interest in the processing of aluminum alloys using additive manufacturing (AM) processes. Thanks to their properties, aluminium alloys are extensively used in aerospace, rail, and automotive industries. Laser metal deposition (LMD), among the AM processes, can manufacture complex features as well as reinforcement structures on pre-existing complex parts. The work performed within the SAMOA project aims to expand the knowledge of the material properties of aluminum alloys when the LMD process is performed under atmospheric conditions. Both common alloys (AlSi10Mg, AlSi1Mg) and AM-specific alloys (AM205 and AlSi1Mg + 1 wt. %Zr) were analyzed and compared. Results show significantly lower amounts of internal defects and higher mechanical properties in AM-specific alloys. This database of mechanical properties will be used to design, simulate, and fabricate reinforcement structures on car frames to enhance their crash resistance and increase vehicle security. Moreover, to reduce material waste, the SAMOA project focuses also on the effects of powder recycling by analyzing both chemical and physical changes in the powder. The higher concentration of oxygen and hydrogen was separately analyzed by artificially increasing their concentration by heat treating AlSi10Mg powder. Results showed similar processability with a reduction in UTS of −31.4% and an increased elongation at fracture of +112.5%. Recycled powder, on the other hand, could not be easily collected, sieved, and reused since the identified physical and chemical changes of the powder lower its processability.