Spatially distributed porosity: A laser powder bed fusion strategy to enhance plasticity in Zr-based metallic glass without yield stress drop

Journal article, 2025

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is a promising method to produce large metallic glass parts with complex geometry. Although Zr-based metallic glasses have a relatively good LPBF processability, they currently in most cases suffer from a lack of plastic deformation in compression compared to samples produced by conventional casting. This study demonstrates that introducing a favourable pore population with spatially controlled organisation can improve the plasticity without adversely affecting the yield stress. Taking advantage of the design freedom of the laser strategy, not only the volume fraction of pores but also their spatial distribution can be controlled by adjusting the hatch spacing distance. Combining X-ray microtomography, compression testing and scanning electron microscopy characterization reveals the enhanced interactions of shear bands with pores. This is promising for the production of strong and ductile metallic glass components using additive manufacturing.