7 June 2023 | Researchers from the Solid Mechanics Laboratory of Institut Polytechnique de Paris, along with collaborators from the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) in Germany and the Technical University of Denmark have performed a decisive experiment showing that dislocations (crystalline defects) in 3D printed metallic alloys continue to evolve after their formation during the fabrication process. Since dislocations play a major role in the mechanics of materials, these results are the first step towards tailoring the properties of alloys during 3D printing. The joint research was, amongst others, also supported by the EuroTech Visiting Researcher Programme.
Metals, even strong metallic alloys such as stainless steels, can be bent, pulled or twisted to some extent without breaking. This deformation capacity is due to dislocations, that are very small defects at the microscopic level in the otherwise very regular atomic lattice. Dislocations can for instance slip on lattice planes in tiny movements that allow the material to permanently deform under applied load. Therefore, as far as additive manufacturing is concerned, it is promising to control the amount and the arrangements of these defects. “But first, we have to understand when dislocations form and how do they evolve during the 3D printing of metallic alloys” says Manas Upadhyay. This researcher from the Solid Mechanics Laboratory (LMS; a joint research unit CNRS, École Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris), and an Assistant Professor at École Polytechnique (Institut Polytechnique de Paris), has led a study published in the journal, Additive Manufacturing, which shows that dislocations formed during 3D printing undergo significant evolution in the subsequent phases of the process.
This research has been funded by the European Research Council through the project GAMMA led by Manas Upadhyay. The EuroTech Visting Researcher Programme also supported this work.
Text courtesy of Institut Polytechnique de Paris. To read the full article, visit their website.
