About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Aluminum Alloys: Development and Manufacturing
|
| Presentation Title |
Expedite AM aluminum alloy design by laser scanning induction-melted samples |
| Author(s) |
Zhaoxuan Ge |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Zhaoxuan Ge |
| Abstract Scope |
The bottleneck of alloy design for powder-based manufacturing lies in customized powder production—an expensive and time-consuming process hindering design iterations. This study presents expedited experimental workflows by laser scanning of induction-melted Al-Zr-Er-Ni alloy to mimic the rapid solidification of laser-powder-bed-fusion (LPBF) without powder. The model alloy, exhibiting 400 MPa yield strength and thermal stability at 400 °C, was characterized across multiple length scales. While melt pool morphology differed between laser-scanned and LPBF samples, high-magnification SEM and TEM revealed strong similarities in grain size, expected precipitate presence, and their distributions. Microhardness tests showed ~20% decrease in laser-scanned samples—a trend also observed in the benchmark alloy. This study highlights microstructural features to provide practical guidance for mimicking LPBF microstructures without powder production. It demonstrates laser scanning as a viable screening approach to accelerate Al alloy development, enabling more efficient exploration of new compositions for structural applications. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: Light Metals |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Characterization, Aluminum |