Ultrasonic Characterization of AlSi10Mg Specimens Printed By Direct Energy Deposition Technology

Additive manufacturing (AM) process has different parameters, their combination, and powder composition which could affect the mechanical properties of printed material. The layer by layer manufacturing approach influences microstructure of the material, and hence, the anisotropy of the mechanical properties. Also, defects such as porosity or cracks could be caused by non-optimized printing parameters. In order avoid wasting of sample while inferring mechanical properties of the printed material, it beneficial to utilize the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) methods. Implementation of NDE methods for additively manufactured parts plays a great role in evaluating and ensuring the reliability of the printed part. In this work, ultrasonic technique was utilized to determine the elastic properties and anisotropy of additively manufactured AlSi10Mg and conventionally fabricated Al 6061 samples. An ultrasonic measurement approach which allowed for the accurate measurement of the material properties was established and implemented. Longitudinal and shear transducers were used and the sound speed was calculated by analyzing the position of the arrived pulses in the pulse-echo configuration. Elastic properties were calculated from the longitudinal and shear sound speeds and measured density. Also, the correlation between elastic properties and sample’s location within the printed block, and spatial distribution of the elastic properties were explored.