Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: High‐strength low‐alloy (HSLA) steels are pivotal for sustainable, cost‐efficient structural applications due to their excellent specific strength. However, the potential of additive manufacturing, specifically laser metal deposition (LMD), for producing complex components from titanium‐microalloyed HSLA variants remains largely unexplored. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the manufacturing of Ti‐doped FeC0.12Si0.25Mn1.3 via LMD for the first time. To comprehensively evaluate process‐structure‐property relationships under rapid solidification conditions, both elemental powder blends and gas‐atomized prealloyed feedstocks were processed using varying shielding gas flow rates and thermal histories. Experimental results revealed that blended powders are highly susceptible to complex oxide formation, an issue significantly mitigated by increasing the shielding gas flow. Conversely, prealloyed powder demonstrated superior microstructural homogeneity in the as‐built state. Subsequent postprocess annealing at 550°C successfully tempered local martensitic regions, effectively homogenizing the spatial hardness distribution across the build volume. With final hardness values reaching up to 284 HV1, the material exhibits mechanical performance competitive with conventional thermomechanically processed grades. While demonstrating the feasibility of this approach, the findings highlight the critical necessity of strict atmosphere control during LMD to minimize inclusions, suggesting future research on optimizing shielding strategies for large‐scale deposition.
Source: Advanced Engineering Materials
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,520
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
OpenAlex ID: W7130332166