#alloys

ARCI develops crack-free bi-metallic superalloy structure using additive manufacturing

Laser powder bed fusion process joins stainless steel to Inconel without cracking, a result DST reported could reduce superalloy imports into India

Researchers at the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI) in Hyderabad, an autonomous institute under India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST), have built a crack-free bi-metallic structure joining stainless steel and a nickel-based superalloy through PBF-LB/M additive manufacturing. The team deposited stainless steel (SS316L) directly onto a surface-ground Inconel 718 (IN718) plate, producing an interface free of visible cracks or porosity. Micro-hardness testing recorded a peak of about 310 HV at the interface, and tensile testing measured an ultimate tensile strength of 550 ± 30 MPa, with failure occurring on the softer stainless steel side rather than at the junction, pointing to a sound bond across the interface.

Why small-batch alloy development is becoming strategically important again

Not every alloy program requires tens of thousands of kilograms of powder before meaningful technical work can begin

In many important materials programs, the first useful quantity is much smaller. A research team may need enough powder to compare three or four variations of a new composition. A defense program may require a controlled run to evaluate whether a modified alloy meets a specific performance requirement. A manufacturer working with high-value feedstock may need a practical route to recover, reuse, or requalify material without committing to a full production campaign. These applications represent a growing part of advanced manufacturing as the industry moves toward more specialized applications in aerospace, defense, energy, medical, and other high-value industrial markets.

Engineers Manufacture World-First ‘Super Alloy’

Scientists have revolutionized the way metals are made by using lower and slower heating of alloys to control how atoms self-organize during material manufacturing.

The discovery, published today in Science by Monash University engineers in Australia, essentially rewrites what has been a century-old approach to alloy design.   The study reveals that lower temperatures and a slower heating process can produce an alloy double the strength of steel, three times stronger than aluminium, and around twice as strong as the same alloy produced using conventional methods. Rather than fully melting metals at extremely high temperatures, researchers used a controlled heating process that allowed atoms to organize themselves into highly ordered, interconnected structures.

Lightweight, higher-temperature alloys developed by researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and funded by DOE's Transportation Technologies Office (TTO) have met the strength and durability operating requirements of General Motors' (GM) new low-mass, high-efficiency (LMHE) medium-duty truck engine. This achievement enables lighter truck engines that improve fuel efficiency and performance without sacrificing strength or durability. Under a cooperative research and development agreement, ORNL tested two aluminum alloys - cast ACMZ (AlCuMnZr) and printed DuAlumin3D - in a prototype GM engine. The materials enabled a more-than-10-percent improvement in fuel efficiency and a 15-percent reduction in weight. Commercial engines in trucks, such as GM's Chevrolet Silverado 3500, have to withstand heavy loads and prolonged use. 

Fatigue Performance in Additive Manufacturing: Challenges for Design, Testing, and Qualification

Defects, residual stress, and anisotropy may reduce fatigue strength in 3D‑printed parts, making robust qualification testing essential for adoption

As additive manufacturing (AM) transitions from prototyping into the production of structural and safety-critical components subjected to repeated loading, fatigue performance becomes a central concern. While the fundamental principles of fatigue remain unchanged, the nature of additive manufacturing introduces additional complexities that must be considered during testing. Why Fatigue Matters in Additive Manufacturing Fatigue testing has been routinely conducted for conventionally manufactured components to characterize long-term behavior, demonstrate compliance with international standards, or provide material input data for finite element analysis (FEA) and life prediction models. These same motivations now apply to additively manufactured parts.

How 'asymmetric alloying' is creating the next generation of luminescent materials

Metal cluster molecules are discrete compounds containing multiple metal atoms held together by metal–metal and metal–ligand bonding. They serve as excellent candidates for catalysts, biosensors, and even for drug development. Developing atomic-level molecular editing methods for such metal clusters remains an important challenge and represents a promising strategy for expanding their structural and functional diversity. Such approaches can enable structure-specific properties, high near-infrared (NIR) photoluminescence quantum yields, and unique reactivities and electronic structures. Alloying is a powerful method for achieving this goal. In this regard, a key challenge is asymmetric alloying, which introduces asymmetry into the metal cluster by selectively placing heterometal atoms at nonequivalent sites, desymmetrizing the cluster and therefore imparting chirality-associated functionality.

A novel strategy to predict the phase diagram of nickel-cobalt alloys

Researchers at IMDEA Materials Institute have developed a new hybrid methodology that combines quantum mechanics and thermodynamic calculations to predict the phase diagram of nickel-cobalt alloys. Published in Acta Materialia, this approach overcomes the limitations of traditional methods, particularly at low temperatures, without the need for experimental data. Nickel-cobalt (Ni-Co) alloys are essential in high-tech sectors such as energy generation and the aerospace industry due to their exceptional resistance to high temperatures and corrosion. They are also key components of emerging High Entropy Alloys (HEAs), promising materials known for their superior mechanical properties.