Microstructure and mechanical properties of aluminum alloy prepared by laser-arc hybrid additive manufacturing

Abstract

The aluminum alloy with low density, high specific strength and excellent fracture toughness could meet the demand of lightweight large-scale manufacturing, and it has been extensively used in the field of aerospace, rail transit, and automotive. Laser-arc additive manufacturing has the advantage of stable forming process and fewer defects due to the addition of a laser, so it has the great potential advantage in additive manufacturing of aluminum alloy. In this paper, the aluminum alloy thin-wall was prepared by arc and laser-arc hybrid additive manufacturing, and the microstructure, the phase structure, microhardness, and tensile property were analyzed. The results show that the microstructure exhibited the periodic distribution characteristics in both additive manufacturing processes, and in the bottom, the middle, and the top area, it presents the coarse columnar, fine columnar, and fine equiaxed dendritic, respectively. In hybrid additive manufacturing, a laser affected zone with refinement grains appeared, and the size of the heat affected zone was obviously reduced. In both additive manufacturing processes, α-Al phase, Al-Si phase, and small amount of the Al-Si-Sr phase all were found, but the Al-Si-Sr phase was reduced in hybrid additive manufacturing. Although the element segregation was found in both additive manufacturing processes, the Sr became more uniform in hybrid additive manufacturing. The microhardness was increased from 52.0 ± 2.7 HV0.05 in arc additive manufacturing to 56.2 ± 2.9 HV0.05 in hybrid additive manufacturing. The tensile strength was increased from 143.6 ± 2.9 MPa in arc additive manufacturing to 164.4 ± 4.8 MPa in hybrid additive manufacturing, and the elongation is 20.8 ± 0.8% in the arc additive manufacturing and 19.6 ± 1.1% in additive manufacturing, respectively.

Performance-control-orientated hybrid metal additive manufacturing technologies: state of the art, challenges, and future trends

“…Reprinted from [98], Copyright (2020), with permission from Elsevier. Reprinted from [99], with the permission of AIP Publishing. Reprinted from [100], Copyright (2022), with permission from Elsevier.…”

“…Figure 12. The reconstruction in tensile properties of EFed AM technologies[51,56,57,69,92,93,[98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109]. Reprinted from[56], © 2019 The Authors.…”

Polymer Composites Based on Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Used in Rapid Prototyping Technology

“…The technique involves melting the material, which is fed in the form of a filament, and extruding it at certain intervals and in certain places (print path), where it cools and solidifies. The process of the deposition of the material through the nozzle and the extrusion head is performed layer by layer; therefore, it is the successive overlapping of each layer that finally shapes the material into the final object [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The main differences between AM techniques include the raw material used, the states of the material and adhesion between material particles [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

“…The process of the deposition of the material through the nozzle and the extrusion head is performed layer by layer; therefore, it is the successive overlapping of each layer that finally shapes the material into the final object [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. The main differences between AM techniques include the raw material used, the states of the material and adhesion between material particles [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Despite the advances in additive manufacturing, especially in the last decade, and its adoption, primarily in engineering but also in design and education, the process is far from perfect, and there are still some challenges [ 4 ].…”

Prediction of Deposition Layer Morphology Dimensions Based on PSO-SVR for Laser–arc Hybrid Additive Manufacturing

“…The laser-arc hybrid additive manufacturing has received a lot of attention and research due to its unique advantages. Miaoran Liu et al [4] prepared thin-walled aluminium alloy parts by arc and laser-arc composite additions, analysed and compared their microstructure and tensile properties, and found that all aspects of the laser-arc composite additions were improved. Zhaodong Zhang et al [5], in their study of laser-induced MIG arc additive manufacturing of aluminium alloys, explored the effect of laser power on melt pool size by conducting thin-walled part forming tests with different laser powers.…”