Roles of added Cr element in high-temperature mechanical performance of Al-Fe alloy fabricated by laser-beam powder bed fusion
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The present study was designed to elucidate the effects of added Cr on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-Fe alloys fabricated by laser-beam powder bed fusion (PBF-LB). The alloy powder with a ternary composition of Al-2.5Fe-2Cr (mass%) exhibited sufficient PBF-LB processability to fabricate crack-free samples with relative density exceeding 99%. PBF-LB fabricated Al-2.5Fe-2Cr alloy samples exhibited a representative melt pool structure resulting from the repetition of local melting and rapid solidification during the PBF-LB process. Although comparatively coarse microstructures with cellular morphologies were localized near melt-pool boundaries, numerous granular particles of the Al 6 Fe metastable phase with highly concentrated Cr in solution were homogeneously distributed in a large part of the melt-pool structure. More than 1% Cr was dissolved in the α-Al matrix. These microstructural features would contribute to strengthening over a wide temperature range (25-300°C). The PBF-LB fabricated Al-2.5Fe-2Cr alloy specimens exhibited a high tensile ductility of over 13% in the loading direction perpendicular to the building direction. The reduction in tensile ductility upon elevating the test temperature resulted in approximately a 3% reduction in elongation. The loss of high-temperature ductility would be responsible for crack propagation along high-angle boundaries in elongated α-Al grains containing Cr solute at elevated temperatures.
Source: Journal of Alloys and Compounds
Language: English
Subfield: Mechanical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,660
OpenAlex ID: W7208814049