Study on the effects of alloying elements on porosity in Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy fabricated by wire arc directed energy deposition

Abstract

Wire arc directed energy deposition (WA-DED) technology has broad application prospects in man-ufacturing large-size and complex metal components due to its low production costs and high depos-ition efficiency. However, pores are still challenging in WA-DED-processed aluminum (Al) alloys. Although many works have been discussed in this field, the relevant studies about the effect of alloying elements on porosity are fewer. In this work, Al alloy wires with 0.36Sc and 0.11Zr (LAEW, wt%) and 0.72Sc and 0.23Zr (HAEW) were selected to fabricate single-pass multi-layer compone-nts with different welding speeds, and the pores were analyzed by X-ray computed tomography (XCT) technology. As the content of Sc and Zr elements increased, the density of Al-Mg-Sc-Zr components significantly decreased. The highest porosity, number density, and the largest average diameter of pores in components with HAEW were about 7.37 %, 6.04 × 102 /mm3, and 46.77 ± 29.31 μm, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of LAEW. The second phases of all components were mainly Al3(Sc1-x, Zrx) phases. Compared to LAEW, the Al3(Sc1-x, Zrx) phases of components with HAEW had a larger area fraction and average diameter, as well as a higher number density at the same process parameters, the highest values were around 3.00 %, 1.27 ± 0.89 μm, and 15.20 × 103 /mm2. Al3(Sc1-x, Zrx) phases could not only serve as the nucleation cores of bubbles but also hinder bubbles escape. In addition, the Sc element significantly increased the viscosity of Al melt. Therefore, the main influencing factors of pores in components with HAEW were not only process parameters, but also the Al3(Sc1-x, Zrx) phases. However, for LAEW, the process parameters were the major influencing factors on porosity due to lower area fraction and number density of Al3(Sc1-x, Zrx) phases. This work has laid a theoretical foundation for WA-DED-processed high-strength Al-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys.