Microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-12Si produced by selective laser melting

Abstract

Al-12Si specimens are produced by selective laser melting (SLM) from gas atomized powders. Installation for the production of powder is original. All specimens were prepared using the EOSINT M 280 device. A fine cellular structure is observed with residual free Si along the cellular boundaries. Room temperature tensile tests reveal remarkable mechanical behavior: the samples show yield and tensile strengths of about 102 MPa and 425 MPa, respectively, along with fracture strain of 12%. The study of crack surface morphology was shown by the example of a sample. Except the spherical pores, the interface of the molten pool also appears on the fracture surface, which indicates a mixture of fragile and ductile fracture. Additionally, the agglomerated silicon group appears also on the fracture surface.