Processing parameters and martensitic phase transformation relationships in near defect-free additively manufactured NiTiHf high temperature shape memory alloys

Abstract

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has quickly emerged as a promising technology to manufacture Shape Memory Alloy (SMA)-based components of complex geometries. 3D-printed High Temperature SMAs (HT-SMAs) components can enable applications that demand operating temperatures well beyond conventional NiTi SMAs. Here, a detailed printability assessment of NiTiHf HT-SMAs fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) AM is conducted for the first time. Specifically, the regions associated with lack of fusion, keyholing, and balling regimes are quantitatively classified through an efficient printability assessment framework. Nearly porosity-free specimens are achieved from the predicted good printable region. The effects of key processing parameters (laser power, scanning speed, and hatch spacing) on the microstructure variation and phase transformation characteristics are studied systematically. A positive correlation is observed between the transformation temperatures and volumetric energy density (EV). Beyond a critical EV of 100 J/mm3, the transformation temperatures become insensitive to further increases in EV. At identical or similar energy density levels, the individual change of laser power, scanning speed, or hatch spacing alters the transformation behavior to a certain extent. It is hypothesized that to a large extent, this behavior is due to the effects that processing conditions have on the differential evaporation of Ni from the melt pool. A model connecting thermal histories, scanning strategy and chemistry changes is found to be consistent with this hypothesis. It is shown that the transformation temperatures in AM NiTiHf HT-SMAs can be varied over a range of more than 160 °C by controlling Ni evaporation through altering processing parameters.