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High-performance aluminum alloy with fully equiaxed grain microstructure fabricated by laser metal deposition

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Abstract

Since scandium has a significant refining effect on aluminum alloys, the research on aluminum-scandium alloys has continued for decades. The development of Scalmalloy which has scandium element broadens the applications for additive manufacturing (AM) for scandium–aluminum alloys. In this research, Scalmalloy is processed by the laser-melting deposition (LMD) method. A fully equiaxed grain microstructure is identified and its formation related to the characteristics of LMD-processing method is discussed. The morphology and distribution of Al3Sc and Al3Zr after processing is observed and discussed, and the elemental distribution is analysed. The high mechanical properties are reached and their relation to the microstructure of the Scalmalloy processed is investigated. With compiled results and observations, this study provides a better understanding of microstructure formation and the mechanical performance of Scalmalloy fabricated by the LMD method which offers a good basis for any further research in the application of LMD for high-performance aluminum alloy.

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The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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All authors participated in the study and agreed to the publication of this manuscript.

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Acknowledgments

Q. Meng would like to thank Sensen Han and Shuocheng Zhang for their advice during the research. Authors are responsible for correctness of the statements provided in the manuscript (Including experimental data and experimental pictures).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Aerospace Engineering and Key Laboratory of Fundamental Science for Aeronautical Digital Manufacturing Process, Shenyang Aerospace University, 37 Daoyi South Avenue, Shenyang, 110136, Liaoning, China

    Xuanyi Yang, Caiying Chen, Wei Wang & Qingshi Meng

  2. Gas Turbine Co., Ltd, Aero Engine Corporation of China, 109 Quanyun Road, Shenyang, 110167, Liaoning, China

    Xuanyi Yang & Yongheng Li

  3. School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Automotive Engineering, Coventry University, Coventry, CV1 2JH, UK

    Rui Cai

  4. School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, 010000, Kazakhstan

    Sherif Araby

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  1. Xuanyi Yang
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Correspondence to Qingshi Meng.

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Yang, X., Cai, R., Chen, C. et al. High-performance aluminum alloy with fully equiaxed grain microstructure fabricated by laser metal deposition. Journal of Materials Research 37, 3658–3667 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-022-00738-4

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