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Hu Z, Gao S, Mikula J, Shen X, Seet HL, Quek SS, Zhou K, Nai SML. Enhanced Plastic Stability: Achieving High Performance in a Al6xxx Alloy Fabricated by Additive Manufacturing. Adv Mater 2024:e2307825. [PMID: 38489562 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202307825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) facilitates the creation of materials with unique microstructural features and distinctive phenomena as compared to conventional manufacturing methods. Among the various well-fabricated AM alloys, aluminum alloys garner substantial attention due to their extensive applications in the automotive and aerospace industries. In this work, an Al6xxx alloy is successfully fabricated with outstanding performance. A nucleation agent is introduced to diminish the susceptibility to cracking during the AM process, thereby inducing a heterogeneous microstructure in this alloy. However, the introduction of ultrafine grains induces plastic instability, evidenced by the presence of Lüders band. This work investigates the evolution of the Lüders band and the strategy to reduce their undesirable effect. The heterogeneity destabilizes the band propagation and thus deteriorates the ductility. Through a T6 heat treatment, the local Lüders strain decreases from 10.0% to 6.2%, leading to a substantial enhancement in plastic stability. With the increase in grain growth and the enlargement of coarse grain regions, the mismatch between the local and macroscopic Lüders strain disappears. Importantly, the strength and the thermal conductivity are concurrently increased. The findings demonstrate the significance of ensuring plastic stability to achieve improved strength-ductility trade-off in AM alloys with heterogeneous microstructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiheng Hu
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 5 Cleantech Loop, #01-01 CleanTech Two Block B, Singapore, 636732, Republic of Singapore
| | - Shubo Gao
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 5 Cleantech Loop, #01-01 CleanTech Two Block B, Singapore, 636732, Republic of Singapore
- Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Jakub Mikula
- Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore, 138632, Republic of Singapore
| | - Xiaojun Shen
- School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Hang Li Seet
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 5 Cleantech Loop, #01-01 CleanTech Two Block B, Singapore, 636732, Republic of Singapore
| | - Siu Sin Quek
- Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Fusionopolis Way, #16-16 Connexis, Singapore, 138632, Republic of Singapore
| | - Kun Zhou
- Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Republic of Singapore
| | - Sharon Mui Ling Nai
- Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 5 Cleantech Loop, #01-01 CleanTech Two Block B, Singapore, 636732, Republic of Singapore
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