In situ Mo(Si,Al)2-based composite through selective laser melting of a MoSi2-30 wt. % AlSi10Mg mixture

Abstract

The laser power bed fusion approach has been successfully employed to manufacture Mo(Si, Al)2-based composites through the selective laser melting of a MoSi2-30 wt. % AlSi10Mg mixture for high-temperature structural applications. Composites were manufactured by leveraging the in situ reaction of the components during printing at 150-300Wlaser power, 500-1000mms-1 laser scanning speed, and 100-134 Jmm-3 volumetric energy density. Microcomputed tomography scans indicated a negligible induced porosity throughout the specimens. The fully dense Mo(Si1-x,Alx)2-based composites, with hardness exceeding 545 HV1 and low roughness for both the top (horizontal) and side (vertical) surfaces, demonstrated that laser-based additive manufacturing can be exploited to create unique structures containing hexagonal Mo(Si0.67Al0.33)2.