Microstructure and mechanical properties of novel heat-resistant Al-12Ce-xCu-yMg alloy under laser melting

Abstract

The novel Al-Ce alloys were designed with the addition of Cu and Mg elements using laser melting. The microstructure and high-temperature mechanical properties of the novel Al-Ce alloys were studied in this paper. The results showed that the laser melted Al-12Ce alloys are composed of eutectic α-Al and Al11Ce3 phases. The addition of Cu can refine the primary phase of Al-Ce alloys by forming the (Al,Cu)11Ce3 participation, while the Mg element mainly produces solid solution strengthening. The addition of Cu and Mg elements can significantly increase the room mechanical properties of eutectic Al-Ce alloys. The hardness of laser melted Al-12Ce-3Cu-2.4Mg alloys is 116.42% higher than that of traditional Al-12Ce alloys. At 300 ℃, the tensile strength (TS) of Al-Ce alloys with different compositions can be maintained at 80% of room temperature and the elongation (EI) is significantly increased. Therefore, the Al-Ce-Cu-Mg alloy system is expected to be a new heat-resistant alloy widely used.