Superior mechanical properties of a selective-laser-melted AlZnMgCuScZr alloy enabled by a tunable hierarchical microstructure and dual-nanoprecipitation
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Superior mechanical properties of a selective-laser-melted AlZnMgCuScZr alloy enabled by a tunable hierarchical microstructure and dual-nanoprecipitation
Superior mechanical properties of a selective-laser-melted AlZnMgCuScZr alloy enabled by a tunable hierarchical microstructure and dual-nanoprecipitation
Zhu, Z., Ng, F. L., Seet, H. L., Lu, W., Liebscher, C. H., Rao, Z., Raabe, D., & Mui Ling Nai, S. (2022). Superior mechanical properties of a selective-laser-melted AlZnMgCuScZr alloy enabled by a tunable hierarchical microstructure and dual-nanoprecipitation. Materials Today, 52, 90–101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mattod.2021.11.019
Abstract:
Achieving high mechanical strength and ductility in age-hardenable Al7000 series (Al–Zn–Mg) alloys fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) remains challenging. Here, we show that crack-free AlZnMgCuScZr alloys with an unprecedented strength–ductility synergy can be fabricated via SLM and heat treatment. The as-built samples had an architectured microstructure consisting of a multimodal grain structure and a hierarchical phase morphology. It consisted of primary Al3(Scx,Zr1−x) particles which act as inoculants for ultrafine grains, preventing crack formation. The metastable Mg-, Zn-, and Cu-rich icosahedral quasicrystals (I-phase) ubiquitously dispersed inside the grains and aligned as a filigree skeleton along the grain boundaries. The heat treated SLM-produced AlZnMgCuScZr alloy exhibited tunable mechanical behaviors through trade-off among the hierarchical features, including the dual-nanoprecipitation, viz, η′ phase, and secondary (Al,Zn)3(Sc9Zr), and grain coarsening. Less coarsening of grains and (Al,Zn)3(Sc9Zr) particles, due to a reduced solution treatment temperature and time, could overwhelm the more complete dissolution of I-phase (triggering more η′ phase), resulting in higher yield strength. Optimal combination of the hierarchical features yields the highest yield strength (∼647 MPa) among all reported SLM-produced Al alloys to date with appreciable ductility (∼11.6%). The successful fabrication of high-strength Al7000 series alloys with an adjustable hierarchical microstructure paves the way for designing and fine-tuning SLM-produced aluminum engineering components exposed to high mechanical loads.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Structural and Metal Alloys Programme (SMAP)
Grant Reference no. : A18B1b0061