Assessing the efficacy of several impact-based mechanical techniques on fatigue behavior of additive manufactured AlSi10Mg

Post-processing methods to reduce issues associated with the presence of internal and external anomalies are often necessary for obtaining adequate structural performance for additively manufactured products. However, the choice of the proper post-treatment and the corresponding parameters is still a challenge requiring adaption to the material type, geometry, size and undeniably costs. In this study, four different pure impact-based mechanical operations involving ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM), ultrasonic shot peening (USSP), severe shot peening (SSP), and severe vibratory peening (SVP) to investigate their efficacy on the fatigue behavior of hourglass AlSi10Mg specimens manufactured via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) were considered. Experimental characterizations involving microstructural approach, porosity level and surface texture, hardness and residual stresses measurements, as well as tensile and fatigue testing, were conducted. The results exhibited considerable improvement in mechanical/physical performances leading to substantially enhanced fatigue performance of the mechanically treated specimens. Based on a cost-performance analysis, it was found that UNSM, while having reasonable cost, presented considerable improvement on fatigue behavior.