Review on laser directed energy deposited aluminum alloys

Lightweight aluminum(Al)alloys have been widely used in frontier fields like aerospace and automotive industries,which attracts great interest in additive manufacturing(AM)to process high-value Al parts.As a mainstream AM technique,laser-directed energy deposition(LDED)shows good scalability to meet the requirements for large-format component manufacturing and repair.However,LDED Al alloys are highly challenging due to their inherent poor printability(e.g.low laser absorption,high oxidation sensitivity and cracking tendency).To further promote the development of LDED high-performance Al alloys,this review offers a deep understanding of the challenges and strategies to improve printability in LDED Al alloys.The porosity,cracking,distortion,inclusions,element evaporation and resultant inferior mechanical properties(worse than laser powder bed fusion)are the key challenges in LDED Al alloys.Processing parameter optimizations,in-situ alloy design,reinforcing particle addition and field assistance are the efficient approaches to improving the printability and performance of LDED Al alloys.The underlying correlations between processes,alloy innovation,characteristic microstructures,and achievable performances in LDED Al alloys are discussed.The benchmark mechanical properties and primary strengthening mechanism of LDED Al alloys are summarized.This review aims to provide a critical and in-depth evaluation of current progress in LDED Al alloys.Future opportunities and perspectives in LDED high-performance Al alloys are also outlined.

A Review of Research on Galvanic Corrosion of Aluminum Alloys

When aluminum alloys are coupled with dissimilar materials,they often act as corrosion anodes and are suscepted to accelerated corrosion.Therefore,deepening our knowledge of such corrosion phenomena,related mechanisms,and elaborating new prediction model is of great theoretical and practical significance.In this paper,such mechanisms are explained from both macroscopic and microscopic points of view by considering several aspects such as the second phase particle type,grain size,and environmental ions.More specifically,different perspectives on such a problem are elaborated,which take into account:the properties of the coupling pair materials,geometrical characteristics,environmental media characteristics,the corrosion regularity of different types of aluminum alloys,the influence of area ratio on anode corrosion current density,the interference of the solution primary ions represented by Cl-and the accompanying ions represented by Al3+.A review is also conducted of the standard test methods used in the study of aluminum alloys galvanic corrosion and of research methods such as the Wire Beam Electrodes Technology(WBE),the Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy(SKPFM)technology.Finally,three kinds of inhibition technologies are discussed,including the anodic oxidation treatment,the corrosion inhibitor treatment and the coating protection method.

Hot deformation behavior of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr aluminum alloys during compression at elevated temperature

The hot compression tests of Al-Zn-Mg-Cu-Zr aluminum alloys （7056 alloy and 7150 alloy） were performed in a temperature range from 300 to 450 °C and at strain rate range from 0.01 to 10 s-1. The results show that the true stress-true strain curves exhibit a peak stress at a critical strain, then the flow stresses decrease monotonically until high strains, showing a dynamic flow softening. The peak stresses depend on the temperature compensated strain rate, which can be represented by the Zener-Hollomon parameter Z in the hyperbolic-sine equation with hot deformation activation energy of 244.64 kJ/mol for 7056 alloy and 229.75 kJ/mol for 7150 alloy, respectively, while the peak stresses for the former are lower than those for the latter under the similar compression condition. The deformed microstructures consist of a great amount of precipitates within subgrains in the elongated grains at high Z value and exhibit well formed subgrains in the recrystallized grains at low Z value. The smaller subgrains and greater density of fine precipitates in 7150 alloy are responsible for the high peak stresses because of the substructural strengthening and precipitating hardening compared with 7056 alloy.

Direct-chill semi-continuous casting process of three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys

Three-layer composite ingot of 4045/3004/4045 aluminum alloys was prepared by direct-chill semi-continuous casting process,the temperature field distribution near the composite interface,macro-morphology,microstructure and composition distribution of the composite interface were investigated.The results show that semi-solid layer with a certain thickness forms near the interface due to the effect of cooling plate,which ensures successful implementation of casting the composite ingot.Two different aluminum alloys are well bonded metallurgically.The mechanical properties of composite interface were measured,the tensile and shearing strengths of composite interface are 105 and 88 MPa,respectively,which proves that the composite interface is a kind of metallurgical bonding.

Establishment of continuous cooling transformation diagrams of aluminum alloys using in situ voltage measurement

An effective method was proposed to establish the continuous cooling transformation（CCT） diagrams of aluminum alloys using in situ voltage measurement.The voltage change of samples with predefined dimension was recorded under the constant current state during continuous cooling.Solutionizing time,together with starting and finishing temperatures of phase transformation of the alloy can be obtained from relationships of voltage vs time and temperature.A critical cooling rate without detectable phase transition during continuous cooling can be determined.Continuous cooling transformation diagrams of tested samples can be established conveniently based on these results.Microstructure observation and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） testing were applied to verify the reliability of continuous cooling transformation diagram.

TEM STUDY ON MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF SINGLE-AGEING 7055 ALUMINUM ALLOYS

Mierostruetural development of a commercial 7055 （Al-Zn-Mg-Cu）alloy is studied by transmission electron mieroseope（TEM） during the process of single-ageing for up to 48 h. It is observed that Guinier-Preston （GP） zones are formed on { 111} planes when the sample is aged for a short time and grows up gradually with increase of ageing time. η＇ phase is formsed after ageing for 4 h at 120℃, having the orientation relationship with the matrix as[0 0 0 1]η＇//[1 1^- 1]Al and （1 0 1^- 1）η＇//（1 1 0）Al.η phase starts to occur after 24 h ageing and has an orientation relationship with matrix as [1^- 1 0 0]η//[1 1 0]Al and （0 0 0 1）η// （1 1 1）Al. Since the density of both η＇ phase and η phase particles is much lower than that of GP zone on aged alloy, GP zones are important to control the properties of the alloy.

Microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of ultrasonic-assisted soldering joints of 2024 aluminum alloys

Ultrasonic-assisted soldering of 2024 aluminum alloys using a filler metal of Zn-5Al alloy was investigated at the temperature of 400 ℃,which is lower than the solution strengthening temperature of Al-Cu alloys.The ultrasonic vibration with power of 200 W and vibration amplitude of 15 μm at the frequency of 21 kHz was applied on the top samples.The ultrasonic vibration promoted the dissolution of Al elements in the base metal.The reduction of volume fraction of the eutectic phases in the bonds was investigated by increasing ultrasonic vibration time.As the ultrasonic vibration time increased from 3 s to 30 s,the volume fraction of the eutectic phase in the bonds decreased from 12.9% to 0.9%,and the shear strength of the joints was up to 149-153 MPa,increased by 20%.The improvement of the mechanical properties of joints was discussed based on the modulus and hardness of the phases in the bonds and the fracture of the joints.

Review of recent trends in friction stir welding process of aluminum alloys and aluminum metal matrix composites

Welding is a vital component of several industries such as automotive,aerospace,robotics,and construction.Without welding,these industries utilize aluminum alloys for the manufacturing of many components or systems.However,fusion welding of aluminum alloys is challenging due to several factors,including the presence of non-heat-treatable alloys,porosity,solidification,and liquation of cracks.Many manufacturers adopt conventional in-air friction stir welding(FSW)to weld metallic alloys and dissimilar materials.Many researchers reported the drawbacks of this traditional in-air FSW technique in welding metallic and polymeric materials in general and aluminum alloys and aluminum matrix composites in specific.A number of FSW techniques were developed recently,such as underwater friction stir welding(UFSW),vibrational friction-stir welding(VFSW),and others,for welding of aluminum alloy joints to overcome the issues of welding using conventional FSW.Therefore,the main objective of this review is to summarize the recent trends in FSW process of aluminum alloys and aluminum metal matrix composites(Al MMCs).Also,it discusses the effect of welding parameters of the traditional and state-of-the-art developed FSW techniques on the welding quality and strength of aluminum alloys and Al MMCs.Comparison among the techniques and advantages and limitations of each are considered.The review suggests that VFSW is a viable option for welding aluminum joints due to its energy efficiency,economic cost,and versatile modifications that can be employed based on the application.This review also illustrated that significantly less attention has been paid to FSW of Al-MMCs and considerable attention is demanded to produce qualified joint.

Effect of alloy composition and heat treatment on mechanical performance of 6xxx aluminum alloys

The effect of alloy composition and heat treatment, including natural ageing and pre-ageing, on the mechanical performance of eight 6xxx alloys designed with systematically varying Si, Mg and Cu contents was studied. The results show that not only the alloy composition and heat treatment before forming influence the formability, but also they have an effect on the paint bake response of the alloys. Increasing the alloy Si content, decreasing Mg/Si ratio and adding 0.3% Cu （mass fraction） were generally found to improve the tensile ductility and formability of the alloys studied, while pre-ageing was found to decrease these properties. A full property profile of these alloys in terms of strength, tensile ductility, work hardening, strain rate sensitivity, forming limit and paint bake response was presented.

Semi-solid near-net shape rheocasting of heat treatable wrought aluminum alloys

Flexibility of the CSIR-RCS, induction stirring with simultaneous air cooling process, in combination with high pressure die casting is successfully demonstrated by semi-solid rheocasting of plates performed on commercial 2024, 6082 and 7075 wrought aluminum alloys. Tensile properties were measured for the above mentioned rheocast wrought aluminum alloys in the T6 condition. The results showed that tensile properties were close to or even in some cases exceeded the minimum specifications. The yield strength and elongation of rheocast 2024-T6 exceeded the minimum requirements of the wrought alloy in the T6 condition but the ultimate tensile strength achieved only 90% of the specification because the Mg content of the starting alloy was below the commercial alloy specification. The strengths of rheocast 6082-T6 exceeded all of the wrought alloy T6 strength targets but the elongation only managed 36% of the required minimum due to porosity, caused by incipient melting during solution heat treatment, and the presence of fine intermetallie needles in the eutectic. The yield strength of rheocast 7075 exceeded the required one and the ultimate tensile strength also managed 97% of the specification; while the elongation only reached 46% of the minimum requirement also due to incipient melting porosity caused during the solution heat treatment process.

Corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys in Na_2SO_4 solution using the scanning electrochemical microscopy technique

The corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys 1060 and 2A12 in a 10 mM Na2SO4＋5 mM KI solution was investigated by scanning electrochemical microscopy （SECM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The potential topography and corrosion morphology results show that the potential of the sample surface over the same area changes with the increase of immersion time. The corrosion area becomes large, and the potential becomes more negative. The corrosion potential of the 2A12 alloy surface is lower than that of 1060 aluminum, and 2A12 alloy becomes easily corrosive. This is the reason that preferential dissolution in the boundary region of some intermetallic particles （IMPs） occurs and different dissolution behaviors are associated with different types of IMPs because of different potentials.

Rotary bending fatigue behavior of A356 –T6 aluminum alloys by vacuum pressurizing casting

Vacuum pressurizing casting technique, providing better mould filling and inter-dendritic feeding, can reduce the porosity greatly in cast aluminum alloys, and improve the fatigue properties. The rotary bending fatigue properties of A356-T6 alloys prepared by vacuum pressurizing casting were investigated. The S-N curve and limit strength 90 MPa under fatigue life of 107 cycles were obtained. The analyses on the fatigue fractography and microstructure of specimens showed that the fatigue fracture mainly occurs at the positions with casting defects in the subsurface, especially at porosities regions, which attributed to the crack propagation during the fatigue fracture process. Using the empirical crack propagation law of Pairs-Erdogon, the quantitative relationship among the initial crack size, fatigue life and applied stress was established. The fatigue life decreases with an increase in initial crack size. Two constants in the Pairs-Erdogon equation of aluminum alloy A356-T6 were calculated using the experimental data.

Effects of microstructural heterogeneity on fatigue properties of cast aluminum alloys

Cast Al alloys are widely employed for engine components,structural parts,gear box,chassis,etc.and subjected to mechanical cyclic load during operation.The accurate fatigue life prediction of these alloys is essential for normal operation as fatigue cracks initiated during operation induce the lubrication oil leak and serious safety hazard.Microstructural heterogeneity,including shrinkage/gaspores and secondary phase particles,is the most detrimental factor that affects fatigue life of cast Al alloys.The approximate fatigue life cycles could be estimated based on the size distribution and locations of shrinkage pores/defects.The relationship between crack population and stress was reported by statistical distributions and the cumulative probability for cast Al alloys fail at a certain stress could be predicted by combination of Paris law and pore size distribution.Pore depth was found to dominate the stress field around the pore on the surface and the maximum stress increases sharply when the pore intercepted with the surface at its top.The microstructure of cast Al alloys usually is composed of primary Al dendrites,eutectic silicon,Fe-rich particles and other intermetallic particles are dependent upon alloy composition and heat treatment.The coalescence of microcracks initiated from the fractured secondary phases was clearly found and can accelerate the initiation and propagation of the fatigue cracks.A link between defect features and the fatigue strength needs to be established through a good understanding of the fatigue damage mechanisms associated with the microstructural features under specific loading conditions.This paper reviews the influences of shrinkage/gaspores and secondary phase particles,formed during casting process,on the fatigue life of Al-Si-Mg cast Al alloys.

Mechanical and metallurgical properties of dissimilar friction stir welded AA5083-H111 and AA6351-T6 aluminum alloys

The microstructure and mechanical characterization of dissimilar friction stir welded AA5083-H111 and AA6351-T6 aluminum alloys were studied. Three different welding speeds （36, 63 and 90 mm/min） were used to weld the dissimilar alloys. The effect of welding speed on mechanical and metallurgical properties was analyzed. It is found that the welding speed of 63 mm/min produces better mechanical and metallurgical properties than other welding speeds. The weld zone is composed of three kinds of microstructures, namely unmixed region, mechanically mixed region and mixed flow region. The fracture mode was observed to be a ductile fibrous fracture.

Low Superheat Pouring with a Shear Field in Rheoeasting of Aluminum Alloys

A new rheocasting process, Low Superheat Pouring with a Shear Field （LSPSF）, was developed to produce semi-solid slurry for the rheo-forming process. The LSPSF process is one of controlled nucleation and limited growth techniques in which effective nucleation rate is controlled by passive mixing and localized rapid cooling near the liquidus temperature; dendrite growth is limited by a much slower cooling process. The experimental results of rheocast Al-Cu alloy 201 and secondary diecasting alloy A380 demonstrate that LSPSF process is capable of producing high-quality slurry in a matter of seconds. It is concluded that maximizing nucleation and nuclei survival directly lead to the grain refinement of the rheocasting microstructure, and high nuclei density combined with a slower cooling afterwards leads to a globular structure of primary phases.

Application of the wavelet packet and its energy spectrum to identify nugget splash during the aluminum alloys spot welding

Nugget splash during aluminum alloys spot welding has a detrimental effect on weld nugget integrity, strength and durability of the welded joints. This investigation is performed to identify nugget splash from voltage signals because these are easily accessible on-line. In the present work, we propose a novel method based on the wavelet packet transform and its energy spectrum for pattern recognition of splash signal. The result demonstrates that this novel method is more accuracy and a useful way of monitoring the spot welding quality.

Effect of Al-TiB master alloy addition on microstructure, wear and compressive deformation behaviour of aluminum alloys

Aluminum-10% TiB master alloy was added in various proportions in 7178 Al alloy in order to examine the effect of TiB on grain refinement, wear and compressive deformation of the later one. Microstructural characterization reveals that TiB particles act as grain refiners for primary base alloy and result in globular dendrites. It was observed that the wear resistance and strength of the alloy decreased when the master alloy addition increased beyond 20%, even though the dendrites become much finer and almost spherical in nature.

Parametric optimization of friction stir welding process of age hardenable aluminum alloys-ANFIS modeling

A comparative approach was performed between the response surface method(RSM) and the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS) to enhance the tensile properties, including the ultimate tensile strength and the tensile elongation, of friction stir welded age hardenable AA6061 and AA2024 aluminum alloys. The effects of the welding parameters, namely the tool rotational speed, welding speed, axial load and pin profile, on the ultimate tensile strength and the tensile elongation were analyzed using a three-level, four-factor Box-Behnken experimental design. The developed design was utilized to train the ANFIS models. The predictive capabilities of RSM and ANFIS were compared based on the root mean square error, the mean absolute error, and the correlation coefficient based on the obtained data set. The results demonstrate that the developed ANFIS models are more effective than the RSM model.

Influence of structural factors on the strength properties of aluminum alloys under shock wave loading

The results of measurements of the strength characteristics-Hugoniot elastic limit and spall strength of aluminum and aluminum alloys in different structural states under shock wave loading are presented.Single-crystals and polycrystalline technical grade aluminumА1013 and aluminum alloysА2024,АА6063Т6,А1421,A7,А7075,А3003,A5083,АА1070 in the initial coarse-grained state and ultrafine-grained or nanocrystalline structural state were investigated.The refinement of the grain structure was carried out by different methods of severe plastic deformation such as Equal Chanel Angular Pressing,Dynamic Channel Angular Pressing,High-Pressure Torsion and Accumulative Roll-Bonding.The strength characteristics of shock-loaded samples in different structural states were obtained from the analysis of the evolution of the free surface velocity histories recorded by means of laser Doppler velocimeter VISAR.The strain rates before spall fracture of the samples were in the range of 10^(4)-10^(5 )s^(-1),the maximum pressure of shock compression did not exceed 7 GPa.The results of these studies clearly demonstrate the influence of structural factors on the resistance to high-rate deformation and dynamic fracture,and it is much less than under the static and quasi-static loading.

Assessment of parameters for precipitation simulation of heat treatable aluminum alloys using differential scanning calorimetry

Differential scanning calorimetry （DSC） has been used extensively to study different solid state reactions. The signals measured in DSC are associated with the growth and dissolution of different precipitates during a specific heat cycle. The time-temperature dependence of heat cycles and the corresponding heat flow evolution measured in the sample by DSC provide valuable experimental information about the phase evolution and the precipitation kinetics in the material. The thermo-kinetic computer simulation was used to predict the DSC signals of samples taken from 6xxx and 2xxx alloys. In the model, the evolution of different metastable and stable phases and the role and influence of excess quenched-in vacancies in the early stage of precipitation were taken into account. Transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and high-resolution TEM were used to verify the existence of precipitates, their size and number density at specific points of the DSC curves.