A team of ORNL researchers used neutron diffraction experiments to study the 3D-printed ACMZ alloy and observed a phenomenon called 鈥渓oad shuffling鈥� that could inform the design of stronger, better-performing lightweight materials for vehicles. Credit: ORNL, U.S. Dept. of Energy
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have identified a mechanism in a 3D-printed alloy 鈥� termed 鈥渓oad shuffling鈥� 鈥� that could enable the design of better-performing lightweight materials for vehicles.
One way to improve energy efficiency in vehicles is to make them lighter with aluminum-based materials. 鈥� aluminum, copper, manganese and zirconium 鈥� alloy for deformation that occurs when the material is under persistent mechanical stress at high temperatures.
Using neutron diffraction, researchers studied the material鈥檚 atomic structure and observed that the overall stress was absorbed by one part of the alloy but transferred to another part during deformation. This back-and-forth shuffling prevents strengthening in some areas.
鈥淣eutrons offer opportunities to study metallurgical phenomena in multiphase structural materials,鈥� ORNL鈥檚 Amit Shyam said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gained unprecedented insight into elevated-temperature material behavior that will allow us to design improved aluminum alloys for extreme conditions.鈥�
