Solute clustering and supersaturated solid solution of AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Heliyon. 2019 Feb 6;5(2):e01186. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e01186. eCollection 2019 Feb.

Abstract

α-Al grains surrounded by Al-Si eutectic as the substructures in AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) were investigated in detail using three-dimensional atom-probe and transmission electron microscopy. Quantitative analysis of α-Al revealed (1) the formation of Mg clusters and Mg-Si co-clusters with a density in the order of 1023 /m3 in α-Al of the as-built state caused by the complicated thermal history, and (2) a supersaturated Si content that significantly exceeded the maximum solubility due to rapid solidification, during the SLM process.

Keywords: Inorganic chemistry; Materials science; Metallurgical engineering.