Synchrotron Nano-Tomography Characterization of Nanoparticle-Induced Pore Elimination in Laser Additive Manufacturing

Laser additive manufacturing of Nickel-based superalloys three-dimensionally prints customized and complex geometries layer-by-layer, but greatly suffers from the solidification cracking during repeatedly rapid melting and solidifying. Ceramic nanoparticles introduced into metal matrices provide an intriguing route to solve solidification cracking issue; however, the nanoparticles-induced melt pool dynamics and resultant dense dispersion remains ambiguous. Here, we propose to apply high-energy nano-tomography to characterize the 3D distribution of nanoparticles, pore and cracks in metal matrices. The interaction between nanoparticles and defects under various processing parameters will be explored. Consequently, the nanoparticle-induced defect elimination will be revealed and provide novel guidelines for processing optimization in industrial applications.