Characterization of hierarchical structures in remelted Ni-Mn-Ga substrates for directed energy deposition manufacturing of single crystals

Magnetic shape-memory alloys (MSMAs) such as Ni-Mn-Ga Heusler alloys have been of great interest in the past decade due to the observed inverse magnetoplastic (IMP) effect, wherein an applied mechanical stress reorients the direction of easy magnetization of the crystal. However, practically large strains achieved with this mechanism may only be generated from single crystals, the manufacturing of which is traditionally time-intensive and delicate. A possible approach for more quickly producing single crystal MSMAs is to use directed energy deposition (DED), a type of laser additive manufacturing. This study focused on the laser remelting of an austenitic Ni51Mn24.4Ga24.6 single crystal substrate without deposition of an additional layer, so as to observe the effects of varying laser power and travel velocity on the resulting melt pool. Using digital microscopy and image analysis, various properties of the melt pool and contained microstructures were measured as functions of laser power and travel velocity. Some trends were suggested that provided insight into which parameter values are conducive to retention of a single crystal; however, a more comprehensive study is needed to confirm these trends.