Purpose -In the optimisation of processing parameters for additive manufactured parts using, e.g. selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam melting, the measurement of the part densities is essential and of high interest. However, there is no common standard. Different institutes and system providers are using their own principles and guidelines. This study investigates the accuracies of the three measurement principles: Archimedes method, microscopic analysis of cross sections and X-ray scanning. Design/methodology/approach -A total of 15 test samples on five density levels (densities between 90 and 99.5 per cent) were produced using the SLM process. The samples are analysed regarding the accuracy of the measurement principles and their reproducibility taking into account influencing parameters like the buoyancy of a sample in air (Archimedes method) or different magnifications of a cross section. Findings -The Archimedes method shows a very high accuracy (^0.08 per cent for high densities) and repeatability (^, 0.1 per cent) on all density levels. In contrast to the Archimedes method, taking a micrograph of a specific cross section allows to influence the resulting density and the coefficient of variation reaches values . 4 per cent. However, for low porosities, mean densities are comparable to the results of the Archimedes method even though calculated densities are typically somewhat too high. The advantage of the image guided analysis (2D and 3D) is getting more information about the distribution, size and form of pores in the part. Originality/value -The findings do not only refer to metallic parts but generally to all parts having a specific porosity. The study is a contribution to the American Society for Testing and Materials initiative F42 "Additive Manufacturing Technology" and especially to the subcommittee "test methods".

is an open access repository that collects the work of Arts et Métiers ParisTech researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. A B S T R A C TThe experimental analysis of spatter formation was carried out on an instrumented SLM set-up allowing the quantification of spatter ejections and possible correlation with melt-pool behavior. Considering nearly similar SLM conditions than those carried out on SLM machines, an increase of large spatters (> 80 μm) with volume energy density (VED) was clearly demonstrated on a 316L stainless steel, which was attributed to the recoil pressure applied on the melt-pool by the metal vaporization and the resulting high velocity vapor plume. In a second step, much lower spattering was shown on Al-12Si powder beds than on 316L ones. Fast camera analysis of powder beds indicated that droplet formation was mostly initiated in the powder-bed near the melt-pool interface. On Al-12 Si alloys, such droplets were directly incorporated in the MP without being ejected upwards as spatters like on 316L. Last, it was shown that a strong reduction of spattering was possible even on 316L, with the use of low VED combined with larger spots (≈0.5 mm), allowing to melt sufficiently deep layers in conduction regime and ensure adequate dilution between layers.

The laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) or powder-bed additive layer manufacturing process is now recognized as a high-potential manufacturing process for complex metallic parts. However, many technical issues are still to overcome for making LPBF a fully viable manufacturing process. This is the case of surface finish and the systematic occurrence of porosities, which require postmachining steps. Up till now, the porosity origin remains unclear but is expected to be related to the stability of the process. As a LPBF part is made by the accumulation of hundreds of meters of small weld beads, it also appears to be important to understand all the phenomena that occur during the laser-powder-melt pool (MP) interaction for each single track. For this reason, in the first part of our study, using an instrumented LPBF setup and a fast camera analysis (>10 000 image/s), single tracks were fabricated and analyzed in real time and postmortem. Spatters ejections and powder denudation phenomena were observed together with variations of melt pool dimensions and meltpool instabilities. In turn, the physical origin of this powder denudation and the dynamics of the MP were investigated and discussed.

The authors propose an analysis of the effect of various operating parameters on the keyhole depth during laser welding. The authors have developed a model that uses the analysis of the thermal field obtained in 2D geometry, which is mainly defined by the characteristic Peclet number. This allows us to show that the dependence of the aspect ratio R of the keyhole with the operating parameters of the process is a function of two parameters: a normalized aspect ratio R 0 , controlled by the incident laser power and the spot diameter, and a characteristic speed V 0 related to the process of heat diffusion. The resulting general law R = f (R 0 , V/V 0) appears to be very well verified by different experimental data and allows to define mean thermophysical parameters of the used materials. These data can then be used for keyhole depths prediction for any subsequent operating parameters of the same material. This model also allows us to define precisely a criterion for a keyhole threshold generation. The authors will apply the derived procedure to successfully analyze experiments on materials with very different thermophysical properties (such as steel alloys and copper), with various focal spots, incident laser powers, and welding speeds.

Laser heat treatment of galvanised steels with a martensite content superior to 80% were performed on a 1 cm wide area over an extensive temperature range [620 K-1350 K]. The material softening induced is studied through uniaxial tensile testing and SEM microstructural observation. A treatment temperature close to Ac3 yields a massive increase in the ductility of the specimens while reducing the mechanical strength. This change in mechanical properties is associated with the nucleation of new austenite islands and the vanishing of the initial martensite laths. The results presented in this paper pave the way to localised variations of the strengthductility trade-off, which could be useful for several industrial applications, particularly for enabling plastic forming or stamping of the martensitic steel sheets at low temperature.

The gaseous atmosphere plays a major role in the quality of the manufactured parts in Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) by protecting the metal from high temperature oxidation. If argon and nitrogen are the most commonly used gases, helium has almost never been considered as a possible candidate as a chemically inert shielding gas. To provide a better understanding of the influence of the gas atmosphere on the process stability, a comparative study of L-PBF manufacturing under argon and helium atmospheres has been carried out, considering a nickelbased alloy Inconel® 625 and a single bead configuration. To this end, in-situ process measurements were carried out on a dedicated experimental setup. The melt pool behaviour, the expansion of the vapour plume and the amount of spatters were evaluated with high-speed imaging for the two gases considered, together with the final L-PBF bead dimensions. Results were also compared to single fusion beads carried out in an industrial L-PBF machine for a comparable range of volume energy densities. The influence of the shielding atmosphere on L-PBF single beads was as follows: (1) dimensions of beads were shown to be constant whatever the gas; (2) fewer and smaller spatters were produced under helium atmosphere, especially for high volume energy densities. Physical mechanisms were then discussed to understand those specific effects.

is an open access repository that collects the work of Arts et Métiers ParisTech researchers and makes it freely available over the web where possible. AbstractLaser drilling in the percussion regime is commonly used in the aircraft industry to drill sub-millimetre holes in metallic targets. Characteristic laser intensities in the range of 10 MW cm −2 are typically employed for drilling metallic targets. With these intensities the temperature of the irradiated matter is above the vaporization temperature and the drilling process is led by hydrodynamic effects. Although the main physical processes involved are identified, this process is not correctly understood or completely controlled. A major characteristic coefficient of laser-matter interaction for this regime, which is the absorptivity of the laser on the irradiated surface, is still unknown, because of the perturbing effects due to laser beam geometrical trapping inside the drilled hole. So, by using time resolved experiments, this study deals with the direct measurement of the variation of the intrinsic absorption of aluminium, nickel and steel materials, as a function of the incident laser intensity up to 20 MW cm −2. We observe that for this incident intensity, the absorptivity can reach up to 80%. This very high and unexpected value is discussed by considering the microscopic behaviour of the heated matter near the vapour-liquid interface that undergoes possible Rayleigh-Taylor instability or volume absorption.

International audienceAt the École Polytechnique « LULI » facility, we have measured the impulse coupling coefficient Cm (target momentum per joule of incident laser light) with several target materials in vacuum, at 1057 nm and 400 fs and 80 ps pulse duration. A total of 64 laser shots were completed in a two-week experimental campaign, divided between the two pulse durations and among the materials. Our main purpose was to resolve wide discrepancies among reported values for Cm in the 100 ps region, where many applications exist. A secondary purpose was to compare Cm at 400 fs and 80 ps pulse duration. The 80 ps pulse was obtained by partial compression. Materials were Al, Ta, W, Au, and POM (polyoxymethylene, trade name Delrin). One application of these results is to pulsed laser ablation propulsion in space, including space debris re-entry, where narrow ranges in Cm and specific impulse Isp spell the difference between dramatic and uneconomical performance. We had difficulty measuring mass loss from single shots. Imparted momentum in single laser shots was determined using pendulum deflection and photonic Doppler velocimetry. Cm was smaller at the 400 fs pulse duration than at 80 ps. To our surprise, Cm for Al at 80 ps was at most 30 N/MW with 30 kJ/m2 incident fluence. On the other extreme, polyoxymethylene (POM, trade name Delrin) demonstrated 770 N/MW under these conditions. Together, these results offer the possibility of designing a Cm value suited to an application, by mixing the materials appropriately