Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion
Conventional precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys experience severe mechanical degradation above 200 °C due to precipitate coarsening and dissolution. This study presents a novel Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy fabricated via laser powder bed fusion, achieving crack-free fabrication with 99.8% relative...
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Virtual and Physical Prototyping |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17452759.2025.2516663 |
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| author | Feng Li Wei Zhang Dan Li Xiao Jia Bart J. Kooi Yutao Pei |
| author_facet | Feng Li Wei Zhang Dan Li Xiao Jia Bart J. Kooi Yutao Pei |
| author_sort | Feng Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conventional precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys experience severe mechanical degradation above 200 °C due to precipitate coarsening and dissolution. This study presents a novel Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy fabricated via laser powder bed fusion, achieving crack-free fabrication with 99.8% relative density, ultrafine grains, and a heterogeneous cellular-lamellar microstructure. Direct aging (400 °C/4 h) enhances yield strength (YS) to 376.1 MPa (72.6% increase) and ultimate tensile strength to 405.8 MPa (30.7% increase) compared to the as-printed condition, while reducing ductility to 11.1%. The strengthening mechanisms arise from grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening via coherent L12-Al3Zr nanoscale dispersoids, dislocation strengthening, and effective load transfer through submicron-scale Al–Fe intermetallic phases. High-temperature tensile testing reveals excellent mechanical stability, retaining a YS of 124 MPa at 350 °C. After prolonged thermal exposure (400 °C/100 h), the alloy maintains good mechanical properties, demonstrating excellent heat resistance due to the low coarsening rate of Al13Fe4 (0.98 nm3/s) and sustained Al3Zr precipitates. The dual-scale strengthening strategy significantly advances developing high-strength and thermally stable Al alloys for high-performance applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-70b32d4cc56741309269a8669f170f8e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1745-2759 1745-2767 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Virtual and Physical Prototyping |
| spelling | doaj-art-70b32d4cc56741309269a8669f170f8e2025-08-20T03:11:58ZengTaylor & Francis GroupVirtual and Physical Prototyping1745-27591745-27672025-12-0120110.1080/17452759.2025.2516663Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusionFeng Li0Wei Zhang1Dan Li2Xiao Jia3Bart J. Kooi4Yutao Pei5Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsAdvanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsState Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaAdvanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsNanostructured Materials and Interfaces, Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsAdvanced Production Engineering, Engineering and Technology Institute Groningen, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, Groningen, The NetherlandsConventional precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys experience severe mechanical degradation above 200 °C due to precipitate coarsening and dissolution. This study presents a novel Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy fabricated via laser powder bed fusion, achieving crack-free fabrication with 99.8% relative density, ultrafine grains, and a heterogeneous cellular-lamellar microstructure. Direct aging (400 °C/4 h) enhances yield strength (YS) to 376.1 MPa (72.6% increase) and ultimate tensile strength to 405.8 MPa (30.7% increase) compared to the as-printed condition, while reducing ductility to 11.1%. The strengthening mechanisms arise from grain boundary strengthening, precipitation strengthening via coherent L12-Al3Zr nanoscale dispersoids, dislocation strengthening, and effective load transfer through submicron-scale Al–Fe intermetallic phases. High-temperature tensile testing reveals excellent mechanical stability, retaining a YS of 124 MPa at 350 °C. After prolonged thermal exposure (400 °C/100 h), the alloy maintains good mechanical properties, demonstrating excellent heat resistance due to the low coarsening rate of Al13Fe4 (0.98 nm3/s) and sustained Al3Zr precipitates. The dual-scale strengthening strategy significantly advances developing high-strength and thermally stable Al alloys for high-performance applications.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17452759.2025.2516663Laser powder bed fusioneutectic aluminum alloyphase transformationprecipitation evolutionthermal stability |
| spellingShingle | Feng Li Wei Zhang Dan Li Xiao Jia Bart J. Kooi Yutao Pei Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion Virtual and Physical Prototyping Laser powder bed fusion eutectic aluminum alloy phase transformation precipitation evolution thermal stability |
| title | Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| title_full | Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| title_fullStr | Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| title_full_unstemmed | Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| title_short | Precipitation evolution, aging strengthening and thermal stability in Al–Fe-Mg-Zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| title_sort | precipitation evolution aging strengthening and thermal stability in al fe mg zr eutectic alloy via laser powder bed fusion |
| topic | Laser powder bed fusion eutectic aluminum alloy phase transformation precipitation evolution thermal stability |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17452759.2025.2516663 |
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