Fine-scale strengthening swirls Creatively combining different alloys using additive manufacturing methods has the potential to produce materials with interesting properties. Zhang et al . use laser powder bed fusion to combine small amounts of 316L stainless steel into Ti64 titanium alloy. This process creates an alloy with a distinctive microstructure that retains high strength while substantially improving ductility. The design strategy should be useful for improving mechanical properties in other alloy system as well. —BG

Under compressive testing at 400 °C and a strain rate range of 0.05–5 s−1, the hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of an as-cast (AC), as-extruded (with a bimodal grain structure (named as Ex-1) or a relatively uniform fine grain structure (Ex-2)) WE43 alloy have been investigated and compared. The results indicate that the AC sample exhibits the highest peak stress, while the Ex-2 sample has the lowest value. Within the AC material, fine grains were firstly formed along the pancake-like deformed grains (as a necklace structure). The necklace structure was also formed within the Ex-1 and Ex-2 materials at high strain rates of 0.5 and 5 s−1. However, a lamellar structure that the coarse elongated grains divided by parallel boundaries was formed within the Ex-1 material. A relatively more homogeneous fine grain structure is achieved after a true strain of 1.0 within the Ex-2 material at a low strain rate of 0.05 s−1. In addition, a discontinuous dynamic recrystallization mechanism by grain boundary bulging is found to occur. After a true strain of 1.2, a (0001) fiber texture, a typical rare earth (RE) texture, and a relatively random texture are formed within the AC, Ex-1, and Ex-2 WE43 alloy material, respectively.

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