Investigation of the healing potential of AlMgZr alloys using phase field modelling and 3D nano-imaging of in-situ damage-healing cycles

In industry applications, parts are subjected to overloads leading to void, crack and eventually part replacement. A solution to increase the lifetime of components is to use self-healing materials. These materials have the ability to close their voids and damage with the application of a heat treatment. The healing capacity of AlMgZr alloys manufactured by LPBF will be analysed. The microstructure is composed of an Al3Mg2 eutectic network, α-Al dendritic particles and Zr precipitates. To optimise the manufacturing process of new alloys and the healing heat treatment process a phase-field model will be develop to predict the microstructure evolution of the material during the healing heat treatment. To validate the model it is necessary to analyse different samples before and after the healing process. Nanoholotomography allows to analyse the same area before and after the process to track the damage and voids and to evaluate the healing potential of the material.