Effect of Adding Methods of Nucleating Agent on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Zr Modified Al-Cu-Mg Alloys Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

doi:10.11900/0412.1961.2021.00075

Acta Metall Sin

2022, Vol. 58

Issue (10): 1281-1291 DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2021.00075

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Effect of Adding Methods of Nucleating Agent on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Zr Modified Al-Cu-Mg Alloys Prepared by Selective Laser Melting

WANG Kaidong, LIU Yunzhong(

), ZHAN Qiangkun, HUANG Bin

National Engineering Research Center of Near-Net-Shape Forming for Metallic Materials, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Cite this article:

WANG Kaidong, LIU Yunzhong, ZHAN Qiangkun, HUANG Bin. Effect of Adding Methods of Nucleating Agent on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Zr Modified Al-Cu-Mg Alloys Prepared by Selective Laser Melting. Acta Metall Sin, 2022, 58(10): 1281-1291.

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Abstract

Selective laser melting (SLM) technology is gaining increasing attention in the field of additive manufacturing. Al-Cu-Mg alloy parts manufactured using SLM technology exhibit significant advantages in lightweight design and the integrated formation of complex structural parts in the aerospace field. However, because of their wide freezing ranges, Al-Cu-Mg alloys have a high cracking tendency at a high cooling rate. SLM technology was used to prepare Zr-modified Al-Cu-Mg alloys in this study. Al₃Zr particles were synthesized to directly add to Al-Cu-Mg alloy powders, and ZrH₂ particles were chosen to form Al₃Zr in-situ during SLM processes. The differences between the effects of adding Al₃Zr particles directly and forming Al₃Zr in-situ on the microstructures and the mechanical properties of SLMed Al-Cu-Mg alloys were analyzed. The results show that the common hot tearing in as-built Al-Cu-Mg alloys all disappear due to the addition of Al₃Zr nucleating agent and the in-situ formed Al₃Zr is more conducive to refining grains and improving the plasticity and the processing efficiency of SLMed Al-Cu-Mg alloys. When the laser energy density is 370 J/mm³, the grain size of the samples containing Al₃Zr and in-situ formed Al₃Zr particles are 1.88 and 1.28 μm, respectively. L1₂-Al₃Zr and undissolved or unmelted Al₃Zr particles are the nucleation particles generated by initial Al₃Zr particles; whereas, they are all metastable Al₃Zr (L1₂-Al₃Zr) synthesized in-situ. L1₂-Al₃Zr has a better nucleation ability than initial Al₃Zr particles. The ultimate strength of the heat-treated samples with initial Al₃Zr particles or in-situ formed Al₃Zr can reach (493 ± 2) or (485 ± 10) MPa, respectively. The elongation of the samples with the in-situ formed Al₃Zr is more than 30% higher than that of the samples containing Al₃Zr particles. SLMed Al-Cu-Mg alloys with in-situ formed Al₃Zr are more suitable for medium-high-speed processes because strong Marangoni flow aroused by high laser energy density is unnecessary for in-situ formed Al₃Zr to realize the dispersion of the grain refiner.

Key words: selective laser melting Al-Cu-Mg alloy Al₃Zr microstructure mechanical property

Received: 09 February 2021

ZTFLH:

TG146.2

Fund: Research and Development Program Project in Key Areas of Guangdong Province(2019B090907001);Major Special Project for Science and Technology Program of Guangdong Provinces(2014B010129002)

About author: LIU Yunzhong, professor, Tel: (020)87110081, E-mail: yzhliu@scut.edu.cn

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	Kaidong WANG
	Yunzhong LIU
	Qiangkun ZHAN
	Bin HUANG

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https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2021.00075 OR https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2022/V58/I10/1281

Fig.1 Morphologies of coarse ZrH₂ particles (a), high-pure Al powders (b), Al₃Zr particles (d), fine ZrH₂ particles (e), and Al-Cu-Mg alloy powders (f), and XRD spectrum of Al₃Zr particles (c)

Fig.2 Low (a, c) and high (b, d) magnified morphologies of Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (a, b) and ZrH₂/Al-Cu-Mg (c, d) alloy composite powders

Fig.3 Cross-sectional OM images of as-built Al-Cu-Mg (a, d), Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b, e), and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (c, f) alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³ (a-c) and 154 J/mm³ (d-f)

Fig.4 Relative densities of as-built Al-Cu-Mg alloys with or without nucleating agents

Fig.5 Microstructures of vertical-section in as-built Al-Cu-Mg (a, d), Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b, e), and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (c, f) alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³

Fig.6 Inverse ploe figures (IPFs) (a-c) and grain size distribution images (d-f) of the vertical-section of Al-Cu-Mg (a, d), Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b, e), and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (c, f) alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³ (Insets in Figs.6e and f are partial enlarged figures)

Fig.7 XRD spectra of as-built Al-Cu-Mg alloys with or without nucleating agents

Fig.8 Bright field TEM image (a), SAED patterns of L1₂-Al₃Zr/Al with (b) or without (c) coherent interface, and EDS element maps (d) of as-built Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³

Fig.9 Bright field TEM image (a) and SAED patterns of L1₂-Al₃Zr/Al interface along [001]_Al (b) and [112]_Al (c) of as-built in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³

Fig.10 SEM backscatter images of as-built Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (a, c) and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b, d) alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³ (a, b) and 154 J/mm³ (c, d) (Inset in Fig.10a shows the L1₂-Al₃Zr precipitates)

Table 1 EDS analysis results of agglomerated phases in Fig.10c

Fig.11 SEM backscatter images of heat-treated Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (a) and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b) alloys prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³

Fig.12 Mechanical properties of Al-Cu-Mg alloys with different components in as-built condition (a) and heat-treated condition (b) prepared with different laser energy density (UTS—ultimate tensile strength, YS—yield strength, El—elongation)

Fig.13 Fracture morphologies of Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (a, c) and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b, d) alloys in the as-built condition (a, b) and after heat-treated condition (c, d) prepared with the laser energy density of 370 J/mm³(Insets show the fracture morphologies at high magnifications)

Fig.14 Schematics of Zr phase evolution in as-built Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (a) and in-situ Al₃Zr/Al-Cu-Mg (b) alloys

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