Structure Formation and Properties of Eutectic Silumin Obtained Using Selective Laser Melting

Abstract

An Al–Si eutectic alloy was synthesized by the selective laser melting (SLM) method using a pilot wrought Al-Si powder (of Russian AKD-12 grade) as the starting material. On the basis of electron microscopy, the microstructure of the SLM alloy was certified with EDS mapping of elements (Al and Si). It has been established that the main structural component is an Al-based solid solution with a cellular-dendritic structure (with an average cell size of ~500 nm). The Si phase, which is a component of the eutectic, is located at the boundaries in the form of rounded crystals about ten nanometers in size. This paper presents the results of measuring the mechanical and nanomechanical properties, which show the competitiveness of the use of the pilot (experimental) powder.