Cornell researchers have uncovered a way to control these transformations in metal solidification by adjusting alloy composition, ultimately leading to stronger, more reliable metal parts.

CHESS has integrated a new operating mode that empowers researchers to capture processes on the nanosecond to microsecond timescale using 100 picosecond pulses of X-rays. At this scale, researchers can investigate swift processes in their experiments, such as crack formations racing across a material or proteins folding and unfolding – minute actions occurring in the blink of an eye.

The group’s paper, “Dendritic Deformation Modes in Additive Manufacturing Revealed by Operando X-Ray Diffraction,” published Oct. 10 in Nature Communications Materials. The lead author is doctoral student Adrita Dass, M.S. ’20.

Doctoral students Adrita Dass (left) and Chenxi Tian, and Atieh Moridi, assistant professor in the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, created a portable twin of their 3D-printing setup.

What is the discovery?

The challenge now is to efficiently use these expensive techniques - and the enormous datasets they produce - to better understand existing problems and gain insight into new phenomena that have been previously unreachable.

CHESS has been at the heart of this explosive growth, and will now develop new, efficient experimental and data processing protocols for using these techniques. 

"Drowning in Data"

What is the discovery?

What is the discovery?