Fatigue performance of an additively manufactured zr-based bulk metallic glass and the effect of post-processing

Fatigue is the most common cause of failure of mechanical parts in engineering applications. In the current work, we investigate the fatigue life of a bulk metallic (BMG) glass fabricated via additive manufacturing. Specimens fabricated via laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) are shown to have a fatigue ratio of 0.20 (fatigue limit of 175 MPa) in a three-point bending fatigue test. Three strategies for improving the fatigue behavior were tested, namely (1) relaxation heat treatment, giving a slight fatigue life improvement at high loading conditions (≥250 MPa), (2) laser shock peening, and (3) changing the build orientation, the latter two of which yielded no significant effects. It was found that the presence of lack of fusion (LoF) had the preponderant effect on fatigue resistance of the specimens manufactured. LoF was observed to be a source of stress localization and initiation of cracks. The fatigue life in BMGs fabricated by LPBF is thus primarily influenced by powder quality and process-induced defects, which cannot be removed by the post-treatments carried out in this study. It is believed that a slight increase in laser power, either in the near-surface regions or in the core of the specimens, could improve the fatigue behavior despite the associated (detrimental) increase of crystallized fraction.