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Process-Dependent Composition, Microstructure, and Printability of Al-Zn-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr Alloys Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

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Abstract

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology for metallic alloys such as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) brings tremendous opportunities for development of novel alloys specifically designed for AM that would desensitize the inherent process variability and requires a refined understanding of processing–structure–property relationship that would contribute to future alloy development. In this study, two different alloys, Al-6Zn-2Mg and Al-6Zn-2Mg-0.7Sc-0.3Zr in wt. pct, representing traditional and AM-specific novel aluminum alloys, respectively, were manufactured by LPBF technique using pre-alloyed gas atomized powders. The Al-Zn-Mg ternary alloys exhibited cracks at various LPBF processing parameters, primarily along the grain boundaries of the large columnar grains that extended across multiple melt pools. The severity of cracking in LPBF Al-Zn-Mg alloys was process-dependent and could be correlated to the change in alloy composition due to evaporation of Zn and Mg with high vapor pressure. The Scheil–Gulliver non-equilibrium solidification calculations showed that the Al-Zn-Mg alloys with lower Zn and Mg concentrations had smaller solidification range (i.e., ΔT) and steepness values (i.e., \( \left| {{\text{d}}T / {\text{d}}f_{\text{s}}^{1/2} } \right| \) near \( f_{\text{s}}^{1/2} = 1 \)), which corresponded to a lower cracking severity. On the other hand, no cracks were observed in Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys, although their solidification range and steepness values were similar to the ternary Al-Zn-Mg alloys. The microstructure of Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys exhibited a much refined heterogeneous microstructure containing small equiaxed and columnar grains within each melt pool, owing to the heterogeneous nucleation upon primary Al3(Sc,Zr) particles. Process-dependent microstructure was observed as a result of variation in thermal gradient and cooling rate associated with LPBF parameters. Findings from this study provide guidance for the future design of AM-specific aluminum alloys and insights into the microstructural control by LPBF.

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Acknowledgment

This research was sponsored by the CCDC Army Research Laboratory under a cooperate agreement contract, W911NF1720172. The views, opinions, and conclusions made in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the CCDC Army Research Laboratory or the US Government. The US Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation herein. The authors would also like to thank Katherine P. Rice at CAMECA Instruments Inc. for assistance with EBSD data acquisition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Le Zhou, Holden Hyer & Yongho Sohn

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Center for Friction Stir Processing Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Processes Institute, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, 76207, USA

    Saket Thapliyal & Rajiv S. Mishra

  3. CCDC Army Research Laboratory, Weapons and Materials Research Directorate, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Harford, MD, 21005, USA

    Brandon McWilliams & Kyu Cho

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  1. Le Zhou
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Correspondence to Le Zhou.

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Manuscript submitted December 11, 2019.

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Zhou, L., Hyer, H., Thapliyal, S. et al. Process-Dependent Composition, Microstructure, and Printability of Al-Zn-Mg and Al-Zn-Mg-Sc-Zr Alloys Manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Metall Mater Trans A 51, 3215–3227 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-020-05768-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-020-05768-3

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