Wei, S., Wuu, D., Soh, V., Lau, K. B., Sun, Z., Lee, J. J., Liu, F., Zhang, B., Wang, P., & Ramamurty, U. (2025). High throughput additive manufacturing and characterization of immiscible Cu-Fe binary system using compositional gradient approach. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1014, 178770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2025.178770
Abstract:
Compositionally graded Cu-Fe alloys (0–50 wt% Fe) were fabricated using laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technique to investigate the effects of Fe on porosity, microstructure, and electrical conductivity. Variations in porosity, influenced by Fe content, build height, and thermal history, were assessed using micro-X-ray computed tomography (XCT) and optical microscopy. It was demonstrated that incorporating more than ∼ 5 wt% Fe in Cu improves the laser absorptivity of Cu substantially, thereby reducing lack-of-fusion pores in the fabricated specimens and enabling reliable fabrication of Cu alloys. Detailed microstructural analysis revealed the presence of fine Fe spheres, which contribute to grain refinement, with their influence depending on Fe content. Electrical conductivity and hardness were evaluated prior to and after heat treatment, indicating that increasing Fe content leads to higher hardness but lower electrical conductivity. Fe content in the range of ∼ 5–15.1 wt% provides a good combination of printability, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Development of High-Performance Electric Traction Module
Grant Reference no. : M22K4a0044
This research / project is supported by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Structural Metal Alloys Programme
Grant Reference no. : A18B1b0061