Increasing the build rate of high-strength aluminium alloys produced by laser powder bed fusion

Del Guercio, Giuseppe; Simonelli, Marco

Abstract

Aluminium alloys from the 2xxx series represent important structural materials due to their optimal combination of strength and corrosion resistance. However, their production by means of laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M) is hampered by the presence of detrimental pores and hot cracks. These defects can be mitigated with appropriate process parameters investigations, often at the expense of the build rate. In this study, a combination of modelling and experimental work is adopted to predict the consolidation behaviour of AA2024, a well-known high-strength Al alloy, in regimes characterised by a progressive increase of build rate. The melt pool geometries are predicted as a function of various process parameters using the Rosenthal solution and variable values of absorptivity. This leads to a facile production of near-full dense crack-free parts at an increasing build rate. The analysis of the specimens produced with such processing parameters reveals that the microstructural features and mechanical properties of AA2024 are largely preserved when build rate is increased. Our approach can be easily implemented in standard PBF-LB/M systems as it does not rely on machine adaptations. Therefore, our new proposed approach might result in a practical solution to increase the productivity of other high-strength Al-alloys in industrial settings.

Citation

Del Guercio, G., & Simonelli, M. (2023). Increasing the build rate of high-strength aluminium alloys produced by laser powder bed fusion. Optics and Laser Technology, 161, Article 109133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2023.109133

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 3, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-06
• Deposit Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 12, 2023
• Journal: Optics & Laser Technology
• Print ISSN: 0030-3992
• Electronic ISSN: 1879-2545
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 161
• Article Number: 109133
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optlastec.2023.109133
• Keywords: Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics; Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/15936009
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030399223000269