Crack elimination and strength enhancement mechanisms of selective laser melted Si-modified Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr alloy

In order to increase the processability and process window of the selective laser melting(SLM)-fabricated Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr alloy,a novel Si-modified Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr alloy was designed.The effect of Si alloying on the surface quality,processability,microstructure,and mechanical properties of the SLM-fabricated alloy was studied.The results showed that introducing Si into the Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr alloy prevented balling and keyhole formation,refined the grain size,and reduced the solidification temperature,which eliminated cracks and increased the processability and process window of the alloy.The maximum relative density of the SLM-fabricated Si/Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr alloy reached 99.6%.The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of the alloy were(371±7)MPa and(518±6)MPa,respectively.These values were higher than those of the SLM-fabricated Al−Mn−Mg−Er−Zr and other Sc-free Al−Mg-based alloys.

Fine-grained Mg−1Mn−0.5Al−0.5Ca−0.5Zn alloy with high strength and good ductility fabricated by conventional extrusion

Mg−1Mn−0.5Al−0.5Ca−0.5Zn(wt.%)alloy was fabricated by conventional extrusion at 673 K with an extrusion ratio of 25:1,followed by aging at 473 K.The microstructure was characterized by scanning electron microscopy,electron back-scattered diffraction,and transmission electron microscopy.The mechanical properties were determined by the tensile test.The peak-aged sample shows fine recrystallized grains with an average grain size of 1.7μm.Area fraction of Al−Ca particles in the alloy increases significantly after peak aging.Meanwhile,botháañandác+añdislocations were observed to remain in the alloy after hot extrusion.Thus,the peak-aged sample exhibits simultaneously high strength and good ductility with the ultimate tensile stress,tensile yield stress,and tension fracture elongation of 320 MPa,314 MPa,and 19.0%,respectively.