Effect of building orientations and heat treatments on AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting: microstructure evolution, mechanical properties, fracture mechanism and corrosion behavior

Abstract

Purpose The present paper aims to systematically investigate the influence of building orientations (0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°) and heat treatment processes on the macro-/micro-structural, mechanical and electrochemical behaviors of selective laser melting (SLM) prepared AlSi10Mg alloy parts. Design/methodology/approach AlSi10Mg samples were produced by the SLM method using standard processing parameters at 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60° and 75° building angles. The effects of building orientations on the physical, mechanical and electrochemical properties of the alloy were investigated. Findings With the increase in the building orientation from 15° to 75°, the structural defects were found reducing. The effect of step size of inclined geometries was found to significantly influence the mechanical and electrochemical properties of the AlSi10Mg samples. Tensile strength for samples fabricated at lower angles (0°, 15°, 30°) reported a drop of approximately 11% than SLM 0° samples. Moreover, the tensile strength was found to decrease from 412.35 ± 9.568 MPa for the as-built samples to 290.48 ± 12.658 MPa, whereas the fracture strain increases from 3.32 ± 0.56% to 5.6 ± 0.6% when the as-built sample was treated with T6 treatment. This study indicates that the microstructure and mechanical properties of SLM-processed AlSi10Mg alloy can be tailored by a suitable heat treatment or building angle. Originality/value Microstructural and mechanical behavior of horizontal or vertically built SLM components have already been demonstrated several times. However, the influence of different building orientations, such as 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 75°, has not been explored in-depth, particularly on corrosion and general mechanical performance. As a result, this work may be of significant relevance to academics and designers, given the varying orientation of internal component of SLM structures.

Effect of surface roughness on rotating fatigue strength of as-built AlSi10Mg produced by laser powder bed fusion

“…Mechanical properties of Table 2 agree with values obtained in literature, see [12,18], with 0 • specimens showing, in order, higher performances than 90 • and 45 • specimens. This behaviour as function of the building angle was already observed and explained as the result of the orientation of the molten pool boundaries network, where a higher density of defects is located, in relation to the loading direction, see [19,20].…”

Effect of Annealing and Hot Isostatic Pressing on the Structure and Hydrogen Embrittlement Resistance of Powder-Bed Fusion-Printed CoCrFeNiMn High-Entropy Alloys

“…Furthermore, in respect of metal manufacturing, PBF is increasingly being employed due to its high degree of fabrication freedom without the use of other part-specific supplies, short design and fabrication periods, and the revolution of conventional manufacturing technologies in realizing an immense amount of time saved and low commercial costs [6][7][8]. In short, not only does PBF manufacturing not require extra devices, but it is also not restricted by complex part geometry, giving rise to multitudinous advantages, such as speediness, a short production period, and low cost [9][10][11][12][13].…”

Research and Development Status of Selective Laser melting (SLM)

“…The SLM process can quickly and accurately form complex configuration parts on equipment by controlling multiple process parameters and utilizing 3D data of parts, avoiding traditional cutting, cutting, grinding and other processes, achieving "free manufacturing", shortening processing time, and saving processing costs [1][2][3][4][5].SLM manufacturing of complex structural components has advantages that traditional manufacturing techniques cannot match, and has received widespread attention and research. Therefore, it is widely used in fields such as aerospace, biomedical, and mold manufacturing [6][7][8].The commonly used material systems in SLM mainly include nickel based alloys, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, iron based alloys, copper alloys, etc [9,10].Forming difficult to machine materials and related processes is one of the hot fields in this field [11].…”