Comparative study of performance comparison of AlSi10Mg alloy prepared by selective laser melting and casting

doi:10.1016/j.jmst.2019.08.049

Abstract

Abstract:

The influence of the microstructure on mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg fabricated by casting and selective laser melting (SLM) were investigated and contrasted in this work, with an emphasis on understanding the forming mechanism. The microstructure, phase structure and mechanical properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy/field-emission Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM/TEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), tensile and fatigue tests. The results indicated that the SLM AlSi10Mg exhibited a supersaturated Si network structure precipitated along α-Al cell. Brittle β-Al5FeSi and π-Al8FeMg3Si6 phases were found in the as-cast and SLM AlSi10Mg respectively due to different thermal histories during processing. The SLM AlSi10Mg showed higher tensile strength but lower elongation than the casting, as the result of grain refinement and tortuous crack path. The fatigue results revealed that unmelted powder, oxide inclusion and pores can considerably degrade the fatigue properties for the SLM AlSi10Mg. The SLM process offered a new method for material processing that would avoid harmful Fe-bearing intermetallic compounds and refine the microstructures for enhancing strength.

Key words: Selective laser melting, Casting, AlSi10Mg, Intermetallic compound, Mechanical properties

Qian Yan, Bo Song, Yusheng Shi. Comparative study of performance comparison of AlSi10Mg alloy prepared by selective laser melting and casting[J]. J. Mater. Sci. Technol., 2020, 41: 199-208.

Figures/Tables 17

Fig. 1. SEM morphology (a) and size distribution (b) of AlSi10Mg powder.

Table 1 Chemical composition of raw powder and SLM samples (wt.%).

Mg	Si	Fe	Ca	Al
0.345	9.617	0.130	0.049	Balance
0.338	9.544	0.137	0.012	Balance

Fig. 2. Schematic representation of building directions of cylindrical SLM AlSi10Mg samples.

Fig. 3. (a) XRD patterns of AlSi10Mg powder, casting and SLM samples; (b) magnified area of AlSi10Mg casting in dotted box in (a).

Fig. 4. Optical micrographs and pore size distribution of SLM AlSi10Mg built along (a) XY and (b) YZ direction.

Fig. 5. SEM images showing melt pool morphologies of SLM AlSi10Mg built along (a, b) XY and (c, d) YZ direction.

Fig. 6. EDS analysis on microstructure of (a-c) the as-cast and (d-f) SLM AlSi10Mg.

Fig. 7. TEM observations of as-cast AlSi10Mg: (a, d) TEM micrograph of precipitated phase; (b) EDS elemental mapping and (c) elemental distribution of Al, Si, Mg and Fe within the square marked in (a); (e) HRTEM micrograph and the corresponding FFT of lamellar precipitated phase.

Fig. 8. TEM observations of SLM AlSi10Mg: (a) HAADF TEM micrograph of network structure; (b) EDS elemental mapping and (c) elemental distribution of Al, Si, Mg and Fe within the square marked in (a); (d) HAADF TEM micrograph of and (e) the corresponding SAED pattern of Al cell boundary; (f) HRTEM micrograph and the corresponding FFT of overlapped boundary.

Fig. 9. Mechanical properties of common Al-Si alloys prepared by SLM or casting. And our results compared with them [7,23,[36], [37], [38], [39], [40], [41]].

Fig. 10. Tensile strength (a) and elongation (b) of as-cast and SLM AlSi10Mg.

Table 2 Tensile results of as-cast and SLM AlSi10Mg.

Processing methods	Direction	Temperature	Tensile strength (MPa)	Elongation (%)
Casting	XY	25 °C	312.65 ± 1.34	12.60 ± 0.77
Casting	YZ		315.13 ± 1.33	14.29 ± 0.19
SLM	XY		445.34 ± 11.36	8.68 ± 0.02
SLM	YZ		430.04 ± 8.88	8.70 ± 0.82
Casting	XY	230 °C	237.16 ± 6.13	20.47 ± 1.70
Casting	YZ		225.31 ± 5.46	18.67 ± 0.49
SLM	XY		266.59 ± 15.25	20.53 ± 1.55
SLM	YZ		270.19 ± 15.86	21.73 ± 1.80

Fig. 11. SEM images of fracture surface images for (a, b, c, d) the as-cast and (e, f, g, h) SLM AlSi10Mg built along (a, b, e, f) XY and (c, d, g, h) YZ direction.

Fig. 12. S-N curves of the as-cast and SLM AlSi10Mg built along YZ direction.

Fig. 13. SEM images of fatigue fracture surfaces for (a) the as-cast and (b) SLM AlSi10Mg under approximate fatigue limit.

Fig. 14. Development of fatigue fracture surface at different stress levels for (a, b, c) the as-cast and (d, e, f) SLM AlSi10Mg.

Fig. 15. SEM images of fracture surface for (a, b) the as-cast and (c, d) SLM AlSi10Mg in (a, c) crack propagation and (b, d) final fracture condition under 250 MPa.

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