A detailed study was carried out to gain a better understanding of the microstructural differences between Ti-6Al-4V parts fabricated via the conventional powder metallurgy (PM) and the laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) 3D printing routes. The parts were compared in terms of the constituent phases in the microstructure and their effects on the micro- and nano-hardness. In L-PBF parts, the microstructure has a single phase of martensitic α′ with hcp crystal structure and acicular laths morphology, transformed from prior parent phase β formed upon solidification of the melt pool. However, for the sintered parts via powder metallurgy, two phases of α and β are noticeable and the microstructure is composed of α grains and α + β Lamellae. The microhardness of L-PBF processed Ti-6Al-4V samples is remarkably higher than that of the PM samples but, surprisingly, the nano-hardness of the bulk martensitic phase α′ (6.3 GPa) is almost the same as α (i.e., 6.2 GPa) in PM samples. This confirms the rapid cooling of the β phase does not have any effect on the hardening of the bulk martensitic hcp α′. The high microhardness of L-PBF parts is due to the fine lath morphology of α′, with a large concentration of low angle boundaries of α′. Furthermore, it is revealed that for the α phase in PM samples, a higher level of vanadium concentration lowers the nano-hardness of the α phase. In addition, as expected, the compacting pressure and sintering temperature during the PM process led to variations in the porosity level as well as the microstructural morphology of the fabricated specimens, which will in turn have a significant effect on the mechanical properties.

High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steels are the materials of choice in pipeline construction with the API X70 grade as the steel for the majority of pipeline networks constructed during the late 20th and early this century. This paper reports on the influence of Post-Weld Heat Treatment (PWHT) on the reduction of residual stresses, resulting changes in the microstructure, and mechanical properties of a multi-pass, X70 HSLA steel, weld joints made by a combined Modified Short Arc Welding (MSAW) and Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW) processes. Neutron diffraction results highlighted high magnitude of tensile residual stresses, in excess of yield strength of both parent and weld metal, in the as-welded specimen ($~$650 MPa), which were decreased substantially as a result of applying PWHT ($~$144 MPa). Detailed microstructural studies are reported to confirm the phase transformation during PWHT and its interrelationship with mechanical properties. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis showed polygonization and formation of sub-grains in the PWHT specimen which justifies the reduction of residual stress in the heat-treated weld joints. Furthermore, microstructural changes due to PWHT justify the improvement in ductility (increase in the elongations) with a slight reduction in yield and tensile strength for the PWHT weld joint.

A quick look through the past two centuries tells us that we may be in our third industrial revolution

Proper understanding and knowledge of primary particle or grain size is of paramount importance in manufacturing processes as it directly affects various properties including mechanical behavior. Application of optical microscopy coupled with etching techniques has been used conventionally and in conjunction with color metallography (polarized microscopy) has been the preferred method for grain size measurement. An advanced technique as an alternative to light microscopy is using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). A comparison is made between these two techniques using Al-7Si alloy produced with various casting techniques to highlight the cost and time of the sample preparation and analysis for both techniques. Results showed that color metallography is certainly a faster technique with great accuracy and a much cheaper alternative in comparison with EBSD.

An understanding of the solidification characteristics of the melt pool during laser powder bed fusion, L-PBF, metal printing is essential to ensure the manufacture of sound parts. This is the main theme of this article where it is attempted to unlock the solidification black box through calculation/measurement of the main solidification parameters of cooling rate, growth rate, temperature gradient, and undercooling. The very small melt pool size and its rapid cooling hinder the application of conventional tools to extract such information. A knowledge of these parameters and their effect on the microstructure and morphology of constituent phases could help to better control the L-PBF process and indeed all the fusion-based additive manufacturing routes, to fabricate high-quality parts. Al12Si alloy solidification during the L-PBF fabrication route is examined to highlight the extreme changes in solidification parameters and their effect on the morphology and size of eutectic Si. This is because the morphology of Si controls the mechanical properties of the finished part. The Al–Si eutectic has a divorced architecture attributed to the difficulty associated with Si growth resulted from rapid solidification. The generation of a temperature gradient of about 7700 °C/mm resulted in cooling rates in the range of 1.1 × 10⁶ °C/s and a growth rate of 140 mm/s. Such values were then used to predict the morphology of eutectic Si based on the traditional approach.