The effects of annealing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Si alloys fabricated by high-energy ball milling (HEBM) and spark plasma sintering (SPS) were investigated. The HEBM-free sintered alloy primarily contained Mg₂Si, Q-AlCuMgSi, and Si phases. Meanwhile, the HEBM-sintered alloy contains Mg-free Si and θ-Al₂Cu phases due to the formation of MgO, which causes Mg depletion in the Al matrix. Annealing without and with HEBM at 500°C causes partial dissolution and coarsening of the Q-AlCuMgSi and Mg₂Si phases in the alloy and dissolution of the θ-Al₂Cu phase in the alloy, respectively. In both alloys, a thermally stable α-AlFeSi phase was formed after long-term heat treatment. The grain size of the sintered alloys with and without HEBM increased from 0.5 to 1.0 μm and from 2.9 to 6.3 μm, respectively. The hardness of the sintered alloy increases after annealing for 1 h but decreases significantly after 24 h of annealing. Extending the annealing time to 168 h improved the hardness of the alloy without HEBM but had little effect on the alloy with HEBM. The relationship between the microstructural factors and the hardness of the sintered and annealed alloys is discussed.

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• Microstructural evolution and thermal stability of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Si–Zr alloy fabricated via spark plasma sintering
  Junho Lee, Seonghyun Park, Sang-Hwa Lee, Seung Bae Son, Hanjung Kwon, Seok-Jae Lee, Jae-Gil Jung
  Journal of Materials Research and Technology.2024; 31: 205.     CrossRef

This study investigates the melting point and brazing properties of the aluminum (Al)-copper (Cu)-silicon (Si)-tin (Sn) alloy fabricated for low-temperature brazing based on the alloy design. Specifically, the Al-20Cu-10Si-Sn alloy is examined and confirmed to possess a melting point of approximately 520°C. Analysis of the melting point of the alloy based on composition reveals that the melting temperature tends to decrease with increasing Cu and Si content, along with a corresponding decrease as the Sn content rises. This study verifies that the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy exhibits high liquidity and favorable mechanical properties for brazing through the joint gap filling test and Vickers hardness measurements. Additionally, a powder fabricated using the Al-20Cu-10Si-5Sn alloy demonstrates a melting point of around 515°C following melting point analysis. Consequently, it is deemed highly suitable for use as a low-temperature Al brazing material.

Aluminum alloys are widely utilized in diverse industries, such as automobiles, aerospace, and architecture, owing to their high specific strength and resistance to oxidation. However, to meet the increasing demands of the industry, it is necessary to design new aluminum alloys with excellent properties. Thus, a new method is required to efficiently test additively manufactured aluminum alloys with various compositions within a short period during the alloy design process. In this study, a combinatory approach using a direct energy deposition system for metal 3D printing process with a dual feeder was employed. Two types of aluminum alloy powders, namely Al6061 and Al-12Cu, were utilized for the combinatory test conducted through 3D printing. Twelve types of Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloys were manufactured during this combinatory test, and the relationship between their microstructures and properties was investigated.

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• Trends in Materials Modeling and Computation for Metal Additive Manufacturing
  Seoyeon Jeon, Hyunjoo Choi
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2024; 31(3): 213.     CrossRef
• Microstructural Effects on the Mechanical Properties of Ti-6Al-4V Fabricated by Direct Energy Deposition
  Juho Kim, Seoyeon Jeon, Hwajin Park, Taeyoel Kim, Hyunjoo Choi
  Journal of Powder Materials.2024; 31(4): 302.     CrossRef
• Combinatorial Experiment for Al-6061 and Al-12Si alloy Based on Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Process
  Seoyeon Jeon, Suwon Park, Yongwook Song, Jiwon Park, Hyunyoung Park, Boram Lee, Hyunjoo Choi
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2023; 30(6): 463.     CrossRef

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has transformed conventional manufacturing processes by offering unprecedented opportunities for design innovation, reduced lead times, and cost-effective production. Aluminum alloy, a material used in metal 3D printing, is a representative lightweight structural material known for its high specific strength and corrosion resistance. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for 3D printed aluminum alloy components across industries, including aerospace, transportation, and consumer goods. To meet this demand, research on alloys and process conditions that satisfy the specific requirement of each industry is necessary. However, 3D printing processes exhibit different behaviors of alloy elements owing to rapid thermal dynamics, making it challenging to predict the microstructure and properties. In this study, we gathered published data on the relationship between alloy composition, processing conditions, and properties. Furthermore, we conducted a sensitivity analysis on the effects of the process variables on the density and hardness of aluminum alloys used in additive manufacturing.

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• Effect of Heat Treatment on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al–Zn–Mg–Cu–Si Sintered Alloys with and Without High-energy Ball Milling
  Junho Lee, Seonghyun Park, Sang-Hwa Lee, Seung Bae Son, Seok-Jae Lee, Jae-Gil Jung
  journal of Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute.2023; 30(6): 470.     CrossRef

This study investigates the interfacial reaction between powder-metallurgy high-entropy alloys (HEAs) and cast aluminum. HEA pellets are produced by the spark plasma sintering of Al_0.5CoCrCu_0.5FeNi HEA powder. These sintered pellets are then placed in molten Al, and the phases formed at the interface between the HEA pellets and cast Al are analyzed. First, Kirkendall voids are observed due to the difference in the diffusion rates between the liquid Al and solid HEA phases. In addition, although Co, Fe, and Ni atoms, which have low mixing enthalpies with Al, diffuse toward Al, Cu atoms, which have a high mixing enthalpy with Al, tend to form Al–Cu intermetallic compounds. These results provide guidelines for designing Al matrix composites containing high-entropy phases.

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• Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility of Al matrix composites enabled by submicron-sized high-entropy alloy phases
  Chahee Jung, Seungin Nam, Hansol Son, Juyeon Han, Jaewon Jeong, Hyokyung Sung, Hyoung Seop Kim, Seok Su Sohn, Hyunjoo Choi
  Journal of Materials Research and Technology.2024; 33: 1470.     CrossRef