Three-Dimensional Columnar Microstructure Representation Using 2D Electron Backscatter Diffraction Data for Additive-Manufactured Haynes®282®.

This study provides a methodology for exploring the microstructural and mechanical properties of the Haynes®282® alloy produced via the Powder Bed Fusion-Electron Beam (PBF-EB) process. Employing 2D Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) data, we have successfully generated 3D representations of columnar microstructures using the Representative Volume Element (RVE) method. This methodology allowed for the validation of elastic properties through Crystal Elasticity Finite Element (CEFE) computational homogenization, revealing critical insights into the material behavior. This study highlights the importance of accurately representing the grain morphology and crystallographic texture of the material. Our findings demonstrate that created virtual models can predict directional elastic properties with a high level of accuracy, showing a maximum error of only ~5% compared to the experimental results. This precision underscores the potential of our approach for predictive modeling in Additive Manufacturing (AM), specifically for materials with complex, non-homogeneous microstructures. It can be concluded that the results uncover the intricate link between microstructural features and mechanical properties, underscoring both the challenges encountered and the critical need for the accurate representation of grain data, as well as the significance of achieving a balance in EBSD area selection, including the presence of anomalies in strongly textured microstructures.

Hierarchical and Heterogeneous Bioinspired Composites-Merging Molecular Self-Assembly with Additive Manufacturing.

Biological composites display exceptional mechanical properties owing to a highly organized, heterogeneous architecture spanning several length scales. It is challenging to translate this ordered and multiscale structural organization in synthetic, bulk composites. Herein, a combination of top-down and bottom-up approach is demonstrated, to form a polymer-ceramic composite by macroscopically aligning the self-assembled nanostructure of polymerizable lyotropic liquid crystals via 3D printing. The polymer matrix is then uniformly reinforced with bone-like apatite via in situ biomimetic mineralization. The combinatorial method enables the formation of macrosized, heterogeneous composites where the nanostructure and chemical composition is locally tuned over microscopic distances. This enables precise control over the mechanics in specific directions and regions, with a unique intrinsic-extrinsic toughening mechanism. As a proof-of-concept, the method is used to form large-scale composites mimicking the local nanostructure, compositional gradients and directional mechanical properties of heterogeneous tissues like the bone-cartilage interface, for mechanically stable osteochondral plugs. This work demonstrates the possibility to create hierarchical and complex structured composites using weak starting components, thus opening new routes for efficient synthesis of high-performance materials ranging from biomaterials to structural nanocomposites.