Combined influence of traverse and rotation speeds in friction stir processing OF AlSi10Mg alloy produced by laser-powder bed fusion

Abstract

In this study, friction stir processing (FSP) was used to enhance the corrosion properties through local modification of the microstructure of AlSi10Mg alloy fabricated by laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) technology. The impact of traverse and rotational speeds on the mechanical and electrochemical properties of L-PBF AlSi10Mg was analyzed with different combinations of processing parameters, with rotational speeds ranging from 800 to 1600 rpm and traverse speeds from 100 to 300 mm/min. The experimental results showed that the Si content within the stir zone is dependent on the combined influence of the rotational and traverse speeds, with a lower traverse speed promoting an enhanced grain refinement and a more homogenous Si distribution, indicated by a low LAGBs with a high HAGBs, resulting in the decrease of the hardness value and improvement of the corrosion performance of the processed material. The lowest hardness was found on the samples processed with a traverse speed of 100 mm/min and the best corrosion performance was observed from the samples processed with a rotational speed of 1600 rpm and a traverse speed of 100 mm/min. The results also indicated that the rotational speed showed a major role on the process, with the influence of the traverse speed diminishing when the material is processed at higher rotational speeds.