Nano-level mechanical and tribological behavior of additively manufactured AlSi 10 Mg plates

This work focuses on the study of the selective laser melting (SLM) fabrication parameter of AlSi 10 Mg specimen. SLM parameters such as Power and scanning speed are varied to identify the defect-free samples. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis is carried out on the AM AlSi 10 Mg specimen to study the presence of phase. The results reveal that the Al matrix possesses (200), (220) and (311) phases whereas the AlSil0Mg powder has (111), (200), (220) and (311) phases. The microstructural characterization based on FESEM, TEM and EBSD analysis is carried out. The cross-section of the molten pool appears as a semi-cylindrical shape in the section that is parallel to the plane of powder deposition. The height, width and depth of the molten pool are measured as 150 ± 10 µm, 450 ± 10 µm and 50 ± 10 µm, respectively. TEM analysis reveals that the Si-precipitate and the eutectic Si element of the AM AlSi 10 Mg specimen are clearly formed in the AM AlSi 10 Mg specimen. Si precipitate spread within the grains whereas, the eutectic Si element is present at the grain boundary of the specimen. Then, the nanohardness and nanowear behavior are analyzed. Further, the influence of strain rate on the tensile strength is investigated. These mechanical tests are carried out on the defect-free AM AlSi 10 Mg specimen to assess its maximum performance. Very rough as well as irregular fracture surfaces are observed in the tensile test AM AlSi 10 Mg specimen. In addition to it, its magnified image reveals that the specimen fracture in the form of river patterns and contains a lot of micron-sized pores throughout the fracture surfaces.