Effects of graphene on the mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg melted by SLM

Abstract

Graphene(GNPs) aluminum matrix composites have been widely used in transportation, aerospace, energy and power fields due to their high strength, good wear resistance and small thermal expansion coefficient. In this paper, AlSi10Mg-(0,0.5,1.0,2.0,4.0wt.%)graphene composite powders were prepared by vacuum mechanical milling, and then high quality composites were fabricated by selective laser melting(SLM). The SLM process of the composites was optimized, the microstructure and mechanical properties of AlSi10Mg-(0,0.5,1.0,2.0,4.0wt.%) graphene composites were analyzed. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS) and X-ray diffraction(XRD) showed, with the addition of graphene, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the samples are greatly affected. This benign change in the microscopic level has brought the improvement of mechanical properties to the sample.