Additive Manufacturing of Ni/NiCr Thermocouples on Ceramic Substrates by Directed Energy Deposition

Additive Manufacturing of Ni/NiCr Thermocouples on Ceramic Substrates by Directed Energy Deposition | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Additive Manufacturing of Ni/NiCr Thermocouples on Ceramic Substrates by Directed Energy Deposition Pia-Sophie Becks, Karl Michael Krämer, Thomas Wegener, Rüdiger Reitz, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9139534/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The direct integration of temperature sensors into thermally loaded components reduces the number of production steps and enables localized temperature measurements regardless of the selected contour. Directed Energy Deposition (DED) offers high potential for such applications due to its capability for multi-material processing; however, the direct deposition of metallic thermocouple tracks onto electrically insulating ceramic substrates remains challenging. In this study, Ni/NiCr thermocouples were fabricated directly onto thermally sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates using DED. Process parameters established for depositing Ni/NiCr on metallic steel substrates were found to be unsuitable for ceramic deposition due to excessive energy input and insufficient track formation. Dedicated parameter studies were therefore conducted for Ni and NiCr, focusing on scan velocity, powder mass flow rate, laser beam diameter, focal position, and NiCr powder particle size. The results demonstrate pronounced material- and particle-size-dependent differences in thermal interaction with the ceramic substrate. Fine NiCr powders caused significant heat-affected zones (HAZ) and substrate degradation, whereas coarser powder fractions substantially reduced thermal damage but required adapted focal conditions to achieve electrically functional tracks. Using optimized parameters, a functional Ni/NiCr thermocouple was fabricated and tested up to 300 °C, showing a stable and linear thermoelectric response with a systematic voltage offset relative to a conventional Type K thermocouple. Directed Energy Deposition Thermocouples Multi-Material Application IN718 Nickel Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9139534","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":615219681,"identity":"17278ab5-5d53-49c1-86da-dec01c1e6dab","order_by":0,"name":"Pia-Sophie Becks","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Darmstadt","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pia-Sophie","middleName":"","lastName":"Becks","suffix":""},{"id":615219683,"identity":"94e36f3c-fc83-4287-b27a-2151c633a6a9","order_by":1,"name":"Karl Michael Krämer","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Darmstadt","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Karl","middleName":"Michael","lastName":"Krämer","suffix":""},{"id":615219685,"identity":"f0ea1534-231a-4063-a4fc-014a1b83b0d0","order_by":2,"name":"Thomas Wegener","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Darmstadt","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Thomas","middleName":"","lastName":"Wegener","suffix":""},{"id":615219688,"identity":"905d2d27-51c8-4b6d-82c5-6041a756ed80","order_by":3,"name":"Rüdiger Reitz","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Darmstadt","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rüdiger","middleName":"","lastName":"Reitz","suffix":""},{"id":615219690,"identity":"88543e24-67dc-435b-81f9-8a6e2c01228d","order_by":4,"name":"Matthias Oechsner","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Technical University of Darmstadt","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Matthias","middleName":"","lastName":"Oechsner","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-16 15:09:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9139534/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9139534/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105911816,"identity":"a9e93ac8-f062-4d66-bef1-cfaa7bd762fb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 10:55:14","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1222855,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AdditiveManufacturingofNiNiCrThermocouplesonCeramicSubstratesbyDirectedEnergyDepositionanonymouspeerreview.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9139534/v1_covered_dbd2ab54-b7f5-4071-adfb-03275114a140.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Additive Manufacturing of Ni/NiCr Thermocouples on Ceramic Substrates by Directed Energy Deposition","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Directed Energy Deposition, Thermocouples, Multi-Material Application, IN718, Nickel, Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9139534/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9139534/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe direct integration of temperature sensors into thermally loaded components reduces the number of production steps and enables localized temperature measurements regardless of the selected contour. Directed Energy Deposition (DED) offers high potential for such applications due to its capability for multi-material processing; however, the direct deposition of metallic thermocouple tracks onto electrically insulating ceramic substrates remains challenging. In this study, Ni/NiCr thermocouples were fabricated directly onto thermally sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates using DED. Process parameters established for depositing Ni/NiCr on metallic steel substrates were found to be unsuitable for ceramic deposition due to excessive energy input and insufficient track formation. Dedicated parameter studies were therefore conducted for Ni and NiCr, focusing on scan velocity, powder mass flow rate, laser beam diameter, focal position, and NiCr powder particle size. The results demonstrate pronounced material- and particle-size-dependent differences in thermal interaction with the ceramic substrate. Fine NiCr powders caused significant heat-affected zones (HAZ) and substrate degradation, whereas coarser powder fractions substantially reduced thermal damage but required adapted focal conditions to achieve electrically functional tracks. 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