Review of Aluminum Alloy Development for Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing

Processing of aluminum alloys by wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) gained significant attention from industry and academia in the last decade. With the possibility to create large and relatively complex parts at low investment and operational expenses, WAAM is well-suited for implementation in a range of industries. The process nature involves fusion melting of a feedstock wire by an electric arc where metal droplets are strategically deposited in a layer-by-layer fashion to create the final shape. The inherent fusion and solidification characteristics in WAAM are governing several aspects of the final material, herein process-related defects such as porosity and cracking, microstructure, properties, and performance. Coupled to all mentioned aspects is the alloy composition, which at present is highly restricted for WAAM of aluminum but received considerable attention in later years. This review article describes common quality issues related to WAAM of aluminum, i.e., porosity, residual stresses, and cracking. Measures to combat these challenges are further outlined, with special attention to the alloy composition. The state-of-the-art of aluminum alloy selection and measures to further enhance the performance of aluminum WAAM materials are presented. Strategies for further development of new alloys are discussed, with attention on the importance of reducing crack susceptibility and grain refinement.

Intergranular Corrosion and Microstructural Evolution in a Newly Designed Al-6Mg Alloy

In this work, the microstructure and corrosion behavior of a novel Al-6Mg alloy were investigated. The alloy was prepared by casting from pure Al and Mg+Al₂Ca master alloy. The ingots were homogenized at 420 °C for 8 h, hot-extruded and cold-rolled with 20% reduction (CR20 alloy) and 50% reduction (CR50 alloy). The CR50 alloy exhibited a higher value of intergranular misorientation due to a higher cold rolling reduction ratio. The average grain sizes were 19 ± 7 μm and 17 ± 9 μm for the CR20 and CR50 alloys, respectively. An intergranular corrosion (IGC) behavior was investigated after sensitization by a nitric acid mass-loss test (ASTM G67). The mass losses of both the CR20 and CR50 alloys were similar at early periods of sensitization, however, the CR20 alloy became more susceptible to IGC as the sensitization time increased. Grain size and β phase precipitation were two critical factors influencing the IGC behavior of this alloy system.

The Effect of Post-Weld Hot-Rolling on the Properties of Explosively Welded Mg/Al/Ti Multilayer Composite

The paper describes an investigation of an explosively welded Mg/Al/Ti multilayer composite. Following the welding, the composite was subjected to hot-rolling in three different temperatures: 300 °C, 350 °C and 400 °C, with a total relative strain of 30%. The rolling speed was 0.2 m/s. The investigation of the composite properties involves microhardness analysis and mini-specimen tensile tests of the joints. The composite Mg/Al and Al/Ti bonds in the as-welded state and after rolling in 400 °C were subjected to microstructure analysis using scanning electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In the Al/Ti interface, the presence of melted zones with localized intermetallic precipitates has been reported in the as-welded state, and it has been stated that hot-rolling results in precipitation of intermetallic particles from the melted zone. The application of the hot-rolling process causes the formation of a continuous layer in the Mg/Al joint, consisting of two intermetallic phases, Mg₂Al₃ (β) and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (γ).

The Effect of Vanadate, Phosphate, Fluoride Compounds on the Aqueous Corrosion of Magnesium Alloy AZ31 in Dilute Chloride Solutions

The anodic polarization response of magnesium alloy AZ31 was first characterized during exposure to aerated 0.1 M NaCl solutions with millimolar additions of NaVO₃, Na₃PO₄, Na₂HPO₄, NaF and various pairings to assess their ability to inhibit corrosion kinetics and retard localized corrosion. Each of the candidate inhibitors reduced the corrosion rate of the alloy to some degree. A Na₃PO₄–NaVO₃ pair produced a good inhibiting effect decreasing the corrosion rate to about 10⁻⁷ A/cm², which was two orders of magnitude lower than the uninhibited control case. A Bliss Independence assessment indicated that this inhibitor pair acted synergistically. A Na₂HPO₄–NaVO₃ pair reduced the corrosion rate to 10⁻⁶ A/cm² but was not assessed to be acting synergistically. The NaVO₃–NaF pair did not reduce the corrosion rate significantly compared to the control case and was an antagonistic pairing. SEM imaging showed film formation due to exposure, which appears to be the origin of the observed inhibition. The resistance to localized corrosion was assessed as the difference in the breakdown potential and the corrosion potential, with larger values indicating a lower probability of localized corrosion during free corrosion exposures. The effects of the inhibitors on this characteristic were mixed, but each of the inhibitor pairs yielded potential differences in excess of 100 mV. A conceptual conversion coating process based on a mixture of vanadate and phosphate compounds were demonstrated. A fluoride-bearing formulation produced coatings whose total impedance was increased by a factor of two compared to an uncoated control. A fluoride-free formulation produced coatings whose corrosion resistance was increased by more than a factor of three.

Repairing Hybrid Mg-Al-Mg Components Using Sustainable Cooling Systems

This paper focused on the maintenance or repair of holes made using hybrid Mg–Al–Mg components by drilling, using two sustainable cooling techniques (dry machining and cold compressed air) and taking surface roughness on the inside of the holes as the response variable. The novelty of the work is in proving that the repair operations of the multi-material components (magnesium–aluminum–magnesium) and the parts made of aluminum and magnesium (separately) but assembled to form a higher component can be done simultaneously, thus reducing the time and cost of the assembly and disassembly of this type of component. The study is based on a design of experiments (DOE) defined as a product of a full factorial 2³ and a block of two factors (3 × 2). Based on our findings, we propose that the analyzed operations are feasible under sustainable conditions and, in particular, under dry machining. Also, the results depend on the machining order.