Investigation and characterization of an Al-Mg-Zr-Sc alloy with reduced Sc content for laser powder bed fusion

Only few high strength Al alloys are processable by Laser Powder Bed Fusion due to the occurrence of hot cracks during solidification. In recent years, the addition of Zr and Sc in Al-Mg alloys revealed an effective solutions to suppress solidification cracking and improve strength. Nevertheless, since Sc is classified as a critical raw material by European Commission due to its high cost and supply risk, its content should be desiderably reduced. It is therefore necessary to focus on novel Al alloys featuring both enhanced processability and low amount of Sc. In this study, we investigated the microstructure and mechanical behavior of an Al-5.2Mg-0.8Zr-0.3Sc alloy, commercially available as m4p™ StrengthAl, produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Simulations of equilibrium phase diagrams and Scheil solidification curves showed the precipitation of primary Al3Zr and Al3(Sc,Zr) in the liquid phase on cooling. These particles revealed able to act as nuclei for heterogeneous nucleation of grains, giving rise to a fine equiaxed structure which is able to suppress hot cracking and increase the processability of the Al-Mg-Zr-Sc alloy. Despite the reduced Sc content, the formation of secondary Al3(Sc,Zr) nano-phases during the annealing treatment led to a sharp increase of micro-hardness values, whereas a stress relief effect was monitored by residual stress measurements during aging. Both as-built and aged alloys show a bimodal grain size distribution and a similar crystallographic texture. Yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 460 MPa and 485 MPa, respectively, were recorded in samples aged at 350 °C for 24 h and at 375 °C for 8 h.