Multi-scale Microstructure and Thermo-mechanical Characterization for Shape Memory Alloy Design via Additive Manufacturing

Open Access
- Author:
- Last, Beth Anna
- Graduate Program:
- Engineering Science and Mechanics
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- December 13, 2018
- Committee Members:
- Reginald Felix Hamilton, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Reginald Felix Hamilton, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Todd Palmer, Committee Member
Clifford Jesse Lissenden III, Committee Member
Allison Michelle Beese, Outside Member
Albert Eliot Segall, Committee Member - Keywords:
- shape memory alloy
additive manufacturing
microstructure
digital image correlation - Abstract:
- The layer-by-layer deposition process of additive manufacturing (AM) offers the capability to design material microstructures on multiple length scales. For NiTi shape memory alloys, designing material microstructures using AM would allow for unparalleled tailoring of the multiscale martensitic transformation and shape memory response. However, the laser-based directed energy deposition (LDED) AM technique produces localized microstructures which are distinct from those found in conventionally processed alloys. This work characterizes the grain and precipitate microstructures on multiple length scales for LDED fabricated NiTi alloys and assess the capability for tailoring the martensitic transformation morphology shape memory response through post-deposition heat treatments. Build coupons were fabricated by LDED AM using elementally blended Ni and Ti powder feedstock. The use of elemental powders allowed for a Ti-rich and a Ni-rich powder feedstock composition to be blended; thus, both shape memory effect (Ti-rich) and superelastic (Ni-rich) behaviors were investigated. Specimens were extracted from the fabricated build coupons to investigate the localized microstructure and shape memory behaviors. A full-field deformation analysis technique was employed to correlate the AM microstructure to the deformation mechanisms. The results of this work show that the NiTi LDED AM builds are inherently spatially varying on multiple microstructure length scales. The grain structure resulting from the AM process was similar for both feedstock compositions: fine grains within the interfacial regions formed by overlapping passes/layers and larger columnar grains within bulk regions (i.e. away from these interfaces). As a result of the spatially varying microstructure, as built LDED NiTi alloys exhibit a hardening like response and localized strain concentrations. Post-deposition heat treatment of the Ni-rich alloys reduced the spatial variation in the Ni4Ti3 precipitate microstructure and increased the localized superelastic strains compared to the as built condition, with the solutionizing and precipitation aging treatment resulting in the most spatially uniform Ni4Ti3 precipitate morphology. For the LDED alloys, shape memory effect recovery strains of 4.0 % (for Ti-rich alloys) and superelastic recovery strains of -6.0 % (for solutionized and aged Ni-rich alloys) were achieved.