CuCrZr parts were fabricated by laser beam powder bed fusion (LB‐PBF) technique and subjected to different heat treatments. As a result, four different conditions were considered for further investigations, that is, the as‐built condition, conditions of maximum hardness (MH) and maximum electrical conductivity (MC), and a condition representing a compromise between hardness and conductivity (H&C). Microstructural evolution and performance under monotonic and cyclic loading were studied. Fracture surfaces revealed significant volume fractions of process‐induced defects such as lack‐of‐fusion (LoF) and pores, irrespective of the condition considered. The effect of these defects on the tensile behavior was found to be marginal, whereas the fatigue performance was noticeably affected due to multiple crack nucleation promoted by large LoF defects. Assessment by computed tomography (CT) revealed a strong influence of the geometry and therefore, of the scan path length, on resulting microstructure and defect population eventually rationalizing obvious discrepancies to the initial process parameter and material density optimization study.

The mechanical properties and the near surface microstructure of the high-manganese twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel X40MnCrAl19-2 have been investigated after deep rolling at high (200 ${}^{\circ }\mathrm{C}$ ), room and cryogenic temperature using different deep rolling forces. Uniaxial tensile tests reveal an increase in yield strength from 400 MPa to 550 MPa due to surface treatment. The fatigue behavior of selected conditions was analyzed and correlated to the prevailing microstructure leading to an increased number of cycles to failure after deep rolling. Deep rolling itself leads to high compressive residual stresses with a stress maximum of about 800 MPa in the subsurface volume characterized by the highest Hertzian pressure and increased hardness up to a distance to the surface of approximately 1 $\mathrm{m}$ $\mathrm{m}$ with a maximum hardness of 475 HV0.1. Due to more pronounced plastic deformation, maximum compressive residual stresses are obtained upon high-temperature deep rolling. In contrast, lowest compressive residual stresses prevail after cryogenic deep rolling. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) measurements reveal the development of twins in the near surface area independently of the deep rolling temperature, indicating that the temperature of the high-temperature deep rolling process was too low to prevent twinning. Furthermore, deep rolling at cryogenic temperature leads to a solid–solid phase transformation promoting martensite. This leads to inferior fatigue behavior especially at higher loads caused by premature crack initiation. At relatively low loads, all tested conditions show marginal differences in terms of number of cycles to failure.

The unique microstructure of the alloy AlSi10Mg produced by the laser-based powder bed fusion of metals (PBF-LB/M) provides high-strength and high-strain-hardening capabilities of the material. The microstructure and mechanical properties of 3D-printed, i.e., additively manufactured, AlSi10Mg are significantly altered by post-building heat-treatment processes applied in order to tailor the final properties of the parts. Using an accurate computational model to predict and improve the mechanical performance of 3D-printed samples considering their microstructural features can accelerate their employment in envisaged applications. The present study aims to investigate the correlation between microstructural features and the mechanical behavior of as-built, direct-aged, and T6 heat-treated samples of PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg under tensile loading using experiment and microstructure-sensitive modeling approaches. Nanoindentation tests are used to calibrate the parameters of the constitutive models for the Al and Si-rich phases. The experimental investigations revealed that heat treatment significantly changes the sub-grain morphology of the Si-rich phase, and this can have a considerable effect on the mechanical behavior of the components. The effect of the modeling of the Si-rich phase in the representative volume elements on the prediction of mechanical behavior is investigated using the J2 plasticity model. The combination of the crystal plasticity model for Al and the J2 plasticity model for the Si-rich phase is used to predict the tensile properties of the as-built and heat-treated states. The predicted results are in good agreement with the experimental results. This approach can be used to understand the microstructure–property relationship of PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg and eventually tailor heat treatment for PBF-LB/M AlSi10Mg based on the requirement of the application.

Direct Energy Deposition (DED), as one common type of additive manufacturing, is capable of fabricating metallic components close to net-shape with complex geometry. Surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) is an advanced surface treatment technology which is able to yield a nanostructured surface layer characterized by compressive residual stresses and work hardening, thereby improving the fatigue performances of metallic specimens. In the present study, stainless steel 316L specimens were fabricated by DED and subsequently surface treated by SMAT. Both uniaxial tensile tests and uniaxial tension-compression low-cycle fatigue tests were conducted for as-built and SMAT processed specimens. The microstructure of both conditions was characterized by roughness and hardness measurements, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. After SMAT, nanocrystallites and microtwins were found in the top surface layer. These microstructural features contribute to superior properties of the treated surfaces. Finally, it can be concluded that the mechanical performance of additively manufactured steel under static and fatigue loading can be improved by the SMAT process.

In laser‐based direct energy deposition (DED‐LB) additive manufacturing (AM), wire or powder materials are melted by a high‐power laser beam. Process‐specific characteristics enable robust in situ fabrication of compositionally graded materials, e.g., through an adaption of powder mass flow from independent hoppers. Based on the high flexibility of this approach, pathways toward multimaterial AM have been unlocked. Obviously, such characteristics enable high‐throughput alloy development. However, rapid alloy development demands substantial characterization efforts to assess phase and microstructural evolution. So far, property analysis is considered as the limiting factor for these high‐throughput approaches. Herein, the use of high‐brilliance X‐Ray analysis and subsequent micropillar compression testing are introduced to tackle these challenges. As a proof of concept, their application to a compositionally graded material made from AISI 316L stainless steel and a CoCrMo alloy is presented. The results obtained reveal that X‐Ray analysis can be exploited to evaluate process robustness, chemical characteristics, and phase composition within the gradient regions. Moreover, the use of micropillar compression testing provides spatially resolved insights into the mechanical properties of the gradient regions. The combination of both characterization techniques eventually opens pathways toward a robust and time‐efficient alloy development using powder‐fed DED‐LB (DED‐LB/P).