An aluminum- erbium alloy powder for additive manufacturing and a preparation method thereof

Abstract

The present invention designs a high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy for additive manufacturing and a preparation method thereof. The alloy contains: 4-20wt% erbium (Er); 2-10wt% magnesium (Mg); less than or equal to 1wt% manganese (Mn); optionally, 0-1wt% scandium (Sc); optionally, 0-1wt% zirconium (Zr). The present invention aims to simultaneously improve the alloy's forming performance and mechanical properties. Based on the phase diagram calculation method to assist in alloy composition design, the Al-Er eutectic system is selected, the solidification range is reduced, and a fine-grained phase is formed, thereby achieving the technical effects of refined structure, no thermal cracks, and excellent printing performance. In particular, a continuous cellular L12Al3Er eutectic network structure with plastic deformation ability is introduced, with a size of hundreds of nanometers, which is both strengthened and toughened. The aluminum-erbium alloy has both excellent print formability and comprehensive mechanical properties, and the preparation method is mature, low-cost, and highly efficient, and can be produced on a large scale industrially.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of aluminum alloy smelting and relates to the composition design and preparation of aluminum alloy powder, and specifically relates to a high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder for additive manufacturing and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Aluminum alloy has the advantages of low density, high specific strength and good corrosion resistance. It is an ideal structural or functional material and is widely used in aerospace, automotive and shipbuilding industries. However, traditional aluminum alloy processing methods (such as casting, forging and powder metallurgy) have limitations in processing products and parts with complex geometric shapes. Additive manufacturing, as a layered manufacturing technology, has high design and forming freedom and low cost, providing a new way to break through the above difficulties. However, additive manufacturing is a non-equilibrium solidification process with a fast cooling rate (10 3 -10 6 K / s), large temperature gradient (~10 -6 K / m), metallurgical defects such as hot cracking, spheroidization and pores are very likely to occur during the solidification process. Only a few alloy systems are suitable for printing parts with low density, specific microstructure and high mechanical properties. Currently, the aluminum alloy system suitable for additive manufacturing is mainly the Al-Si eutectic system, which has a small solidification temperature range, is not easy to crack, and has good processing formability, but its strength and elongation are too low, and its mechanical properties are not competitive. For example, AlSi formed by selective laser melting (SLM) 10 Mg has a yield strength of 300 MPa, a tensile strength of 490 MPa, and an elongation of only 4%. Traditional high-strength deformable aluminum alloy systems, such as 2xxx, 6xxx, and 7xxx aluminum alloys, have high alloying element content, a wide solidification temperature range, and no primary heterogeneous nucleation phase. Therefore, the growth of coarse columnar grains during the printing process can lead to severe periodic intergranular thermal cracking, making them unsuitable for additive manufacturing processes.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an easy-to-form, high-strength, and high-plasticity aluminum alloy system suitable for the non-equilibrium rapid solidification process of additive manufacturing. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides an aluminum-erbium alloy and a preparation method thereof. Additive manufacturing components made from the alloy have low thermal cracking sensitivity, high yield strength and good plasticity.

[0005] One aspect of the present invention provides an aluminum alloy comprising:

[0006] 4-20 wt% erbium (Er);

[0007] 2-10 wt% magnesium (Mg);

[0008] Less than or equal to 1 wt% manganese (Mn);

[0009] Optionally, 0-1 wt% scandium (Sc);

[0010] Optionally, 0-1 wt% zirconium (Zr).

[0011] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy contains 5.0-10.8 wt% Er, for example, 5.0-10.8 wt%, 10.8-14.6 wt%, 10.8-15.6 wt%, and further 5.0 wt%, 5.2 wt%, 5.0 wt%, 5.5 wt%, 7 wt%, 10.8 wt%, 14.6 wt% or 15.6 wt%.

[0012] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy contains 3.0-8.5 wt% Mg, for example, 3.0-3.3 wt%, 3.3-4.5 wt%, 4.5-7.8 wt%, 7.8-8.5 wt%, and further 3.0 wt%, 3.3 wt%, 4.5 wt%, 7.8 wt% or 8.5 wt%.

[0013] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy contains 0.3-0.6 wt % of Mn, for example, 0.5 wt % or 0.6 wt %.

[0014] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy includes 0-0.7 wt % Zr, and further may be 0 wt %, 0.1 wt %, 0.4 wt % or 0.7 wt %.

[0015] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy includes 0-0.5 wt % of Sc, and further may be 0 wt %, 0.1 wt % or 0.5 wt %.

[0016] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy comprises:

[0017] 10.8 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0018] 10.8 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0019] 10.8 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0020] 10.8 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0021] 10.8 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0022] 10.8 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0023] 15.6 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0024] 15.6 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0025] 15.6 wt% Er, 3.3 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0026] 15.6 wt% Er, 3.3 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0027] 15.6 wt% Er, 7.8 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0028] 14.6 wt% Er, 7.8 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0029] 5.0 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.3 wt% Zr; or,

[0030] 5.5 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0031] 5.0 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0032] 5.0 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.40 wt% Zr; or,

[0033] 5.2 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or,

[0034] 5.2 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.50 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or,

[0035] 10.8 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn; or,

[0036] 5.5 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.1 wt% Zr; or

[0037] 7.0 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.5 wt% Mn, 0.3 wt% Zr, 0.1 wt% Sc.

[0038] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy further includes aluminum (Al) and inevitable impurities as the balance.

[0039] In one embodiment, the aluminum alloy is prepared in a form selected from the group consisting of powder, chips, strip, wire, sheet, plate, and foil.

[0040] In one embodiment, the alloy is manufactured in powder form, which can be used in an additive manufacturing process.

[0041] In one embodiment, the alloy exhibits a dual grain morphology in which columnar crystals and equiaxed crystals coexist.

[0042] Furthermore, the alloy is rich in fine-grained structure. The Al-Er alloy of the present invention has a significantly larger proportion of equiaxed fine-grained regions than Al-Ni alloys, exhibiting more excellent solidification characteristics.

[0043] In one embodiment, the alloy has a grain size between 500 nm and about 2 μm.

[0044] In one embodiment, the alloy has a fine grain structure with a grain size between 500 nm and about 2 μm.

[0045] In one embodiment, the alloy has equiaxed grains with a grain size of about 500 nm and columnar grains with a diameter of 2 μm.

[0046] In one embodiment, the columnar crystals contain a continuous Al3Er cellular eutectic network structure.

[0047] In one embodiment, the network unit size in the network structure is 300-400 nm. The eutectic phase (and the network structure it comprises) has plastic deformation capability, which is beneficial to improving the plasticity of the material.

[0048] In one embodiment, the Al3Er cellular eutectic network structure contains twin structures, and the twin structures are nano twins.

[0049] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for preparing the aforementioned aluminum alloy, comprising:

[0050] The aluminum alloy is prepared by a rapid solidification process; the rapid solidification process is preferably one or more selected from gas atomization, spray deposition, flat flow casting, melt spinning, melt extraction and beam glazing.

[0051] In one embodiment, the atomization powder making includes but is not limited to: gas atomization, rotary electrode atomization, and ultrasonic atomization.

[0052] In one embodiment, the additive manufacturing includes but is not limited to: laser selective melting additive manufacturing, laser directed energy deposition additive manufacturing, electron beam selective melting additive manufacturing, and electron beam directed energy deposition additive manufacturing.

[0053] In one embodiment, the method for preparing the aluminum alloy includes: smelting to obtain an aluminum-erbium alloy prefabricated ingot, and obtaining an aluminum-erbium alloy powder by a gas atomization powder making method.

[0054] In one embodiment, the preparation of the aluminum-erbium alloy prefabricated ingot comprises the following steps:

[0055] S1. According to the weight ratio of the alloy chemical components, pure Al, pure Mg, Al-Er master alloy block, and Al-Mn master alloy block are weighed as raw materials respectively. Optionally, the raw materials also include Al-Sc master alloy block and / or Al-Zr master alloy block;

[0056] S2, mixing pure Al and Al-Er master alloy blocks, heating, melting and stirring to obtain melt A;

[0057] S3, adding the Al-Mn master alloy block to melt A, heating, melting and stirring to obtain melt B;

[0058] When the aluminum-erbium alloy contains Sc, an Al-Sc master alloy block is also added to the melt A; when the aluminum-erbium alloy contains Zr, an Al-Zr master alloy block is also added to the melt A;

[0059] S4, pressing pure Mg into melt B to obtain melt C;

[0060] S5, step S4 is added to the melt obtained by refining agent, covering agent and vacuum degassing to obtain a melt D;

[0061] S6. After removing the slag, the melt D is poured into a preheated mold to obtain a metal ingot.

[0062] In one embodiment, the heating temperature in step S2 is 780-800° C., and the stirring time is 1-3 minutes.

[0063] In one embodiment, the heating temperature in step S3 is 780-800° C., and the stirring time is 1-3 minutes.

[0064] In one embodiment, the heating temperature in step S4 is 700-740° C., and the stirring time is 1-3 minutes.

[0065] In one embodiment, the vacuum furnace temperature in step S5 is 740° C., and the degassing time is 5-10 min;

[0066] In one embodiment, the mold preheating temperature in step S6 is 200-250°C.

[0067] In one embodiment, aerosol forming comprises the following steps:

[0068] A1. Heat and melt the aluminum-erbium alloy prefabricated ingot under vacuum environment;

[0069] A2. The molten melt flows under the action of gravity. The outflowing melt is broken into droplets of different sizes under the impact of atomized nitrogen. The droplets solidify into powder during the falling process, and high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder is collected.

[0070] As an embodiment, the heating in step A1 is electromagnetic induction heating, the heating temperature is 750-800° C., and the heat preservation time is 0.5-0.8 h.

[0071] As an implementation scheme, step A1 specifically includes:

[0072] a. Place the aluminum-erbium alloy prefabricated ingot in the graphite crucible in the melting chamber, close the chamber door, reduce the vacuum degree in the melting chamber through the vacuum system, and then introduce nitrogen into the chamber to further replace the air in the chamber and reduce the oxygen content in the chamber;

[0073] b. The cavity is heated by electromagnetic induction to completely melt the ingot.

[0074] As an embodiment, in step A2, after collecting the powder, the method further includes vacuum packaging the collected powder.

[0075] In some specific embodiments, aluminum-erbium alloy powder for additive manufacturing is prepared by a gas atomization powder making method, and the steps are as follows:

[0076] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0077] The ingredients are prepared according to the chemical element composition and mass percentage formula of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy powder for additive manufacturing, wherein the aluminum alloy contains 5.0-10.8 wt% of erbium (Er); 3.0-8.5 wt% of magnesium (Mg); 0.5-0.6 wt% of manganese (Mn); 0.1-0.7 wt% of zirconium (Zr); and 0-1 wt% scandium (Sc); aluminum (Al) and inevitable impurities as the balance; using pure Al as the Al source material, Al-20Er master alloy as the Er source material, using pure Mg as the Mg source material, using Al-10Mn master alloy as the Mn source material, using Al-10Sc master alloy as the Sc source material; using Al-10Zr master alloy as the Zr source material; respectively weighing pure Al, pure Mg, Al-20Er master alloy block, Al-10Mn master alloy block, Al-10Sc master alloy, Al-10Zr master alloy block as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg, Sc, and Zr recovery rate of 95%, additionally weighing pure Mg and Al-10Zr master alloy blocks as the raw material part to be replenished by burning;

[0078] (2) Melting of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy prefabricated ingot:

[0079] a. Mix pure Al, pure Mg, and Al-20Er master alloy blocks in a graphite crucible, heat to 780-800°C in a resistance furnace, and stir with a graphite stirring rod for 3 min.

[0080] b The Al-10Mn master alloy block, Al-10Zr master alloy block is added to the melt and stirred with a graphite stirring rod for 3 minutes;

[0081] When the aluminum-erbium alloy contains Sc, an Al-10Sc master alloy block is also added to the melt;

[0082] c. Pure Mg is added to the melt and pressed into the bottom of the melt with a graphite rod to dissolve;

[0083] d. Add refining agent for refining, then scrape off the surface slag, sprinkle with covering agent, and vacuum degas for 5-10 minutes;

[0084] e. Remove the surface slag and cast it into a cylindrical mold preheated at 250°C to obtain a cylindrical ingot;

[0085] f. Use mechanical processing methods to remove the oxide scale on the surface of the ingot.

[0086] (3) Gas atomization forming of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy powder:

[0087] a. The Al-Er-Mg-Mn- Sc-Zr prefabricated ingot is placed in a graphite crucible in the melting chamber, the chamber door is closed, the vacuum degree in the melting chamber is reduced by the vacuum system, and then nitrogen is introduced into the chamber to further replace the air in the chamber and reduce the oxygen content in the chamber;

[0088] b. Heat the cavity by electromagnetic induction to a target temperature of 750-800°C for 0.5 h to completely melt the ingot;

[0089] c. The molten melt flows along the nozzle under the action of gravity and is broken into droplets of different sizes by the impact of the fast-moving atomized nitrogen gas. The droplets solidify into powder as they fall, and the falling powder is collected at the bottom of the cavity;

[0090] d. The collected powder is vacuum packed to prevent the powder from being oxidized.

[0091] Another aspect of the present invention provides an additive manufacturing component made from gas atomized powder of the alloy.

[0092] In one embodiment, the yield strength of the component is greater than 440 MPa, further greater than 500 MPa or 550 MPa, or even greater than 600 MPa.

[0093] In one embodiment, the tensile strength of the component is greater than 550 MPa, further greater than 600 or 650 MPa, or even greater than 700 MPa.

[0094] In one embodiment, the elongation of the component is greater than 4%, even greater than 6%, 8% or 10%, even greater than 12%.

[0095] In one embodiment, the component is at 250-350 o After holding at C for 5-40 min, the yield strength is greater than 580 MPa, the tensile strength is greater than 630 MPa, and the elongation is greater than 8%.

[0096] Another aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a component, comprising:

[0097] manufacturing a powder form of the aforementioned aluminum alloy;

[0098] The powder form is used in an additive manufacturing process to produce the component.

[0099] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0100] (1) The high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder of the present invention has excellent printability. Based on the Al-Er eutectic system, it has a small solidification range and a low tendency to hot cracking. In addition, unlike other eutectic aluminum alloy systems, an additional Al3Er primary phase can be formed during the solidification process. This phase is coherent with the aluminum matrix, thus playing a role in refining the grains and further improving the solidification behavior and hot cracking sensitivity of the Al-Er system. By comparing the microstructures, it can be found that the proportion of equiaxed fine grains in the Al-Er alloys of the various embodiments of the present invention is significantly greater than that of the Al-Ni system alloys, showing more excellent solidification characteristics.

[0101] (2) The bulk material formed by selective laser printing of the aluminum bait alloy powder of the present invention exhibits outstanding mechanical properties. The as-formed yield strength can be greater than 530 MPa, the tensile strength can be greater than 550 MPa, and the elongation can be greater than 10%. After simple heat treatment, the yield strength can be greater than 620 MPa, the tensile strength can be greater than 640 MPa, and the elongation can be greater than 8%. The as-printed yield strength exceeds the level of all currently available ultra-high-strength aluminum alloys manufactured by additive manufacturing.

[0102] (3) The Al3Er eutectic phase inside the bulk material formed by selective laser printing of aluminum bait alloy powder of the present invention forms a continuous cellular network structure, which has a significant strengthening effect.

[0103] (4) The Al3Er eutectic phase within the bulk material formed by selective laser printing of aluminum-electrolyte alloy powders of the present invention contains a large number of nanotwins, indicating that the eutectic phase (and its cellular network structure) has the ability to plastically deform, ensuring the strong plasticity matching of the material. The presence of nanotwins will also enhance the strength of the eutectic network structure, thereby improving the overall strength level of the material. At the same time, the Al3Er eutectic phase is coherent with the aluminum matrix, which is conducive to the coordinated deformation between the two.

[0104] (5) The preparation method and process of the high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder of the present invention are simple and mature, with low cost and high efficiency, and can be used for large-scale industrial production.

[0105] (6) The high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder of the present invention is highly applicable to additive manufacturing processes such as laser selective melting, and can be used for large-scale industrial production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0106] Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the following drawings:

[0107] Figure 1 is the thermodynamic phase diagram of Al-Er eutectic system;

[0108] Figure 2 This is the typical solidification path curve of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr system;

[0109] Figure 3 The hot cracking sensitivity factor of Al-Er-Mg-Mn system changes with the Mg and Mn contents;

[0110] Figure 4 Typical microstructure of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy powder prepared in Example 1;

[0111] Figure 5 This is a typical XRD pattern of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy powder prepared in Example 1;

[0112] Figure 6 Typical microstructure of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 1;

[0113] Figure 7 This is a typical XRD pattern of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 1;

[0114] Figure 8 This is a backscattered electron diffraction photograph of the printed Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy bulk prepared in Example 1;

[0115] Figure 9 This is a structural diagram of a large number of cellular continuous eutectic networks contained in the alloy columnar crystals in Example 1;

[0116] Figure 10 Atomic structure diagram of the Al3Er eutectic phase of the alloy in Example 1;

[0117] Figure 11 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 1;

[0118] Figure 12 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy prepared in Example 1 after heat treatment;

[0119] Figure 13 Typical microstructure of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr alloy powder prepared in Example 2;

[0120] Figure 14 This is the typical microstructure of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy block prepared in Example 2;

[0121] Figure 15 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 2;

[0122] Figure 16 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy block prepared in Example 2 after heat treatment;

[0123] Figure 17 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 3;

[0124] Figure 18 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 4;

[0125] Figure 19 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 5;

[0126] Figure 20 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 6;

[0127] Figure 21 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-15.6Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 7;

[0128] Figure 22 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-15.6Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 8;

[0129] Figure 23 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-15.6Er-3.3Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 9;

[0130] Figure 24 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-15.6Er-3.3Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 10;

[0131] Figure 25 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-15.6Er-7.8Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 11;

[0132] Figure 26 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-14.6Er-7.8Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 12;

[0133] Figure 27 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.0Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.3Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 13;

[0134] Figure 28 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.5Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 14;

[0135] Figure 29 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.0Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 15;

[0136] Figure 30 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.0Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 16;

[0137] Figure 31 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.2Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 17;

[0138] Figure 32 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.2Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 18;

[0139] Figure 33 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 19;

[0140] Figure 34 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-5.5Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.1Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 20;

[0141] Figure 35 This is a typical tensile curve of the Al-7Er-4.5Mg-0.5Mn-0.3Zr printed alloy bulk prepared in Example 21;

[0142] Figure 36 Comparative Example 1: Selected area laser printing of Al-3Er-4.5Mg-0.5Mn-0.1Zr bulk material microstructure diagram. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0143] I. Definition

[0144] Unless otherwise indicated, scientific and technical terms used herein have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the relevant terms and laboratory procedures used herein are those widely used in the relevant fields and routine procedures. To facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, definitions and explanations of relevant terms are provided below.

[0145] As used herein and unless otherwise indicated, the term "about" or "approximately" means within plus or minus 10% of a given value or range. Where an integer is required, the term means within plus or minus 10% of a given value or range, rounded up or down to the nearest integer.

[0146] In the description herein, references to “some embodiments,” “some implementation schemes,” or “some implementation plans” describe a subset of all possible embodiments, but it will be understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0147] As used herein and unless otherwise specified, the terms "comprises," "includes," "has," "contains," and their grammatical equivalents should generally be understood as open-ended and non-limiting, e.g., not excluding other unlisted elements or steps.

[0148] As used herein, the term "wt%" refers to the weight ratio and the proportion of a substance in a mixture. For example, 4-20 wt% erbium (Er) means that the weight ratio of Er element to the total weight of all elements in the alloy is 4-20 wt%.

[0149] As used herein, the term "nominal composition" refers to the weight proportion of each metal element input into the raw material in the total raw material.

[0150] As used herein, the term "aluminum alloy" refers to an alloy having aluminum as a base and a certain amount of other alloying elements added thereto.

[0151] II. Examples

[0152] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below. The described embodiments should not be regarded as limiting the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0153] Before further explaining the embodiments of the present invention in detail, the nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present invention are explained. The nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of the present invention are subject to the following interpretations.

[0154] The raw materials and equipment used in the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are all known products and are obtained by purchasing commercially available products.

[0155] The alloy elements in the present disclosure are analyzed using an inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer, and the weight percentages of the corresponding elements are calculated based on the measurement results.

[0156] Yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were measured according to ASTM E8 / E8M-15a standard method.

[0157] The phase diagram calculation method is used to assist in designing alloy composition to obtain higher phase stability and mechanical properties, and the thermodynamic equilibrium phase diagram of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr system is obtained, such as Figure 1 As shown, the eutectic point w (Er) is about 4%, and the hypereutectic composition is selected to obtain the divorced eutectic network structure. The high-throughput Scheil solidification path simulation of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr system is performed using the phase diagram thermodynamic calculation method to obtain the solid phase fraction f s With temperature T The change curve of Figure 2 The hot crack sensitivity index (CSI) is defined as: f s 1 / 2 <0.99|d T / d( f s ) 1 / 2 The calculated hot cracking sensitivity factor of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn system changes with the trend of Mg and Mn as shown in the following table: Figure 3 As shown in Figure 1. The hot crack sensitivity factors of aluminum alloys manufactured using additive manufacturing in current industrial applications are all less than 10,000 K. Based on this, the optimized chemical composition of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy powder is designed to be: 4 ≤ w(Er) ≤ 20%; 3 ≤ w(Mg) ≤ 10%; 0 < w(Mn) ≤ 1%; 0 ≤ w(Sc) ≤ 1%; 0 ≤ w(Zr) ≤ 1%; and Al remainder.

[0158] Example 1

[0159] Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation in the chemical composition range of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy. The weight proportions of each element in the powder alloy product are: Er 10.8%, Mg 4.5%, Mn 0.6%, Zr 0.7%, and the balance is Al and unavoidable impurities. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0160] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0161] 14.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 3.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as additional raw materials to compensate for burnout, based on a 95% yield of Mg and Zr.

[0162] (2) Melting of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr alloy prefabricated ingot:

[0163] a. Mix pure Al, pure Mg, and Al-20Er master alloy blocks into a graphite crucible and heat to 780°C in a resistance furnace. o After C melted, stir with a graphite stirring rod for 3 min;

[0164] b The Al-Mn master alloy block, Al-Zr master alloy block is added to the melt and stirred with a graphite stirring rod for 3 minutes;

[0165] c. Pure Mg is added to the melt and pressed into the bottom of the melt with a graphite rod to dissolve;

[0166] d. Add a refining agent for refining, then scrape off the surface slag, sprinkle with a covering agent, and vacuum degas for 10 minutes;

[0167] e. Remove the surface slag and cast at 250 o C preheated cylindrical mold to obtain a cylindrical ingot;

[0168] f. Use mechanical processing methods to remove the oxide scale on the surface of the ingot.

[0169] (3) Gas atomization forming of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr alloy powder:

[0170] a. Place the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr prefabricated ingot in a graphite crucible in the melting chamber, close the chamber door, reduce the vacuum degree in the melting chamber by the vacuum system, and then introduce nitrogen into the chamber to further replace the air in the chamber and reduce the oxygen content in the chamber;

[0171] b. Heating the cavity by electromagnetic induction, the target temperature is 800 o C, keep warm for 0.5 h to completely melt the ingot;

[0172] c. The molten melt flows along the nozzle under the action of gravity and is broken into droplets of different sizes by the impact of the fast-moving atomized nitrogen gas. The droplets solidify into powder as they fall, and the falling powder is collected at the bottom of the cavity;

[0173] d. The collected powder is vacuum packed to prevent the powder from being oxidized.

[0174] The composition of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr powder prepared in this embodiment was determined by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry to be Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr, which was consistent with the designed nominal composition value.

[0175] The typical particle morphology and microstructure of Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr powder prepared in this embodiment are as follows: Figure 4 The typical XRD pattern is shown in Figure 5 The powder used for SLM preparation has an average particle size of approximately 35 μm and high sphericity. The powder contains two phases: α-Al and Al₃(Er,Zr), with α-Al / Al₃(Er,Zr) eutectics forming between the α-Al cells.

[0176] The Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr powder prepared in this embodiment was processed by conventional aluminum alloy selective laser melting (SLM) process to obtain Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr printed alloy block, the typical microstructure of which is as follows: Figure 6 The typical XRD pattern is shown in Figure 7 As shown, the electron backscattered photograph of the grain structure is as follows Figure 8As shown in Figure 1, the Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy prepared by SLM exhibits no cracks, no significant pores, and a fine grain structure. Nucleation of a large number of Al3(Er,Zr) phases occurs at the bottom of the melt pool, inducing equiaxed grains with a grain size of approximately 500 nm and columnar grains within the melt pool with a grain size of approximately 2 μm. Compared to Al-Ni 3D printing materials reported in the literature (Scripta Materialia 203 (2021): 114034), the Al3Er phase not only participates in the eutectic reaction, providing excellent solidification properties, but also precipitates as a coherent primary phase, refining the grains and further enhancing resistance to hot cracking. However, due to its significant crystal structure difference from the aluminum matrix, the Al3Ni in the Al-Ni system cannot effectively perform heterogeneous nucleation and grain refinement. Therefore, by comparing the microstructures, it can be clearly seen that the proportion of equiaxed fine grain areas in the Al-Er alloys of the various embodiments of the present invention is significantly greater than that in the Al-Ni system alloys, showing more excellent solidification characteristics.

[0177] As an important feature, the columnar crystals contain a continuous Al3Er cellular eutectic network structure with a network unit size of 300-400 μm, such as Figure 9 As shown. The Al3Er eutectic phase that constitutes the network structure contains a large number of nano twins, such as Figure 10 As shown, this eutectic phase (and its network structure) possesses plastic deformation capability, which is beneficial for improving the material's plasticity. Furthermore, Al3Er exhibits an L12 structure, making it coherent with the aluminum matrix, which facilitates coordinated deformation between the two. These properties of the Al3Er phase contrast sharply with the less coherent, brittle eutectic phases (Si, Al13F4, Al3Ni, Al11La3, and Al11Ce3) found in eutectic systems such as Al-Si, Al-Fe, Al-Ni, Al-La, and Al-Ce.

[0178] The printed Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy block was subjected to a tensile test according to ASTM E8 / E8M-15a standard. The yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation of the alloy were 540 MPa, 610 MPa, and 11.8%, respectively. The tensile curve is shown in Figure 2. Figure 11 shown.

[0179] The printed Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy block was heated at 320 o C for 25 min, and then a tensile test was performed. The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 591 MPa, 638 MPa and 9.8%, respectively. The tensile curve is shown in Figure 2. Figure 12The Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr alloy prepared in this embodiment has both excellent solidification characteristics and mechanical properties.

[0180] Example 2

[0181] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0182] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0183] 13.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, 2.50 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.12 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0184] (2) Melting of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Zr alloy prefabricated ingot:

[0185] a. Mix pure Al, pure Mg, and Al-20Er master alloy blocks into a graphite crucible and heat to 780°C in a resistance furnace. o After C melted, stir with a graphite stirring rod for 3 min;

[0186] b The Al-Mn master alloy block, Al-Zr master alloy block, Al-Sc master alloy block is added to the melt and stirred with a graphite stirring rod for 3 minutes;

[0187] c. Pure Mg is added to the melt and pressed into the bottom of the melt with a graphite rod to dissolve;

[0188] d. Add a refining agent for refining, then scrape off the surface slag, sprinkle with a covering agent, and vacuum degas for 10 minutes;

[0189] e. Remove the surface slag and cast at 250 o C preheated cylindrical mold to obtain a cylindrical ingot;

[0190] f. Use mechanical processing methods to remove the oxide scale on the surface of the ingot.

[0191] (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0192] The typical particle morphology and microstructure of Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr powder prepared in this embodiment are as follows: Figure 13 As shown in Figure 3, the average particle size of the powder used for SLM is about 36 μm, with high sphericity. The powder contains two phases: α-Al and Al3(Er,Zr).

[0193] The Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr powder prepared in this embodiment was processed by conventional aluminum alloy selective laser melting process to obtain Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr alloy bulk, the typical microstructure of which is as follows: Figure 14 As shown, there are no cracks and a large number of pores in the alloy, and the grain structure is similar to that of the alloy block prepared in Example 1, but the eutectic cell structure size and the ultrafine grain size of the equiaxed crystal region are smaller than those in Example 1, indicating that the addition of the Sc element enhances the refinement effect.

[0194] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the product measured by the test method of Example 1 are 553 MPa, 622 MPa and 12%, respectively. Figure 15 The printed Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr alloy block was heated at 350 o After keeping at 45 min, the tensile test was carried out and the yield strength was 630 MPa, the tensile strength was 647 MPa, and the elongation was 8.9%, which showed excellent performance. The tensile curve was as follows: Figure 16 shown.

[0195] Example 3

[0196] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-10.8Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0197] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0198] 15 kg of pure Al, 1.50 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 3.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.10 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burn-out.

[0199] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0200] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the product measured by the test method of Example 1 are 536 MPa, 602 MPa and 9.8%, respectively. Figure 17 shown.

[0201] Example 4

[0202] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-10.8Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0203] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0204] 14 kg of pure Al, 1.50 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, 2.50 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.10 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0205] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0206] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the product measured by the test method of Example 1 are 538 MPa, 596 MPa and 9.6%, respectively. Figure 18 shown.

[0207] Example 5

[0208] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-10.8Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0209] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0210] 12.25 kg of pure Al, 4.25 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 3.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and 0.22 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%.

[0211] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0212] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the product measured by the test method of Example 1 are 505 MPa, 569 MPa and 12.6%, respectively. Figure 19 shown.

[0213] Example 6

[0214] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-10.8Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0215] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0216] 11.25 kg of pure Al, 4.25 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, 2.50 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.22 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0217] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0218] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the product measured by the test method of Example 1 are 545 MPa, 601 MPa and 12.6%, respectively. Figure 20 shown.

[0219] Example 7

[0220] Al-15.6Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition from the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0221] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0222] 2.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 39 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 3.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of Mg and Zr recovery of 95%.

[0223] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0224] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation of the test result were 629 MPa, 637 MPa and 6.6% respectively. Figure 21 shown.

[0225] Example 8

[0226] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-15.6Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0227] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0228] 1.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 39 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.12 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0229] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0230] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 633 MPa, 647 MPa and 4.5% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 22 shown.

[0231] Example 9

[0232] Al-15.6Er-3.3Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition in the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0233] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0234] 2.85 kg of pure Al, 1.65 kg of pure Mg, 39 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 3.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and 0.10 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of Mg and Zr recovery of 95%.

[0235] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0236] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 568 MPa, the tensile strength is 623 MPa, and the elongation is 9.9%. The tensile curve is as follows Figure 23 shown.

[0237] Example 10

[0238] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-15.6Er-3.3Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0239] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0240] 1.85 kg of pure Al, 1.65 kg of pure Mg, 39 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.10 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burn-out.

[0241] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0242] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 586 MPa, the tensile strength is 648 MPa, and the elongation is 8.6%. The tensile curve is as follows Figure 24 shown.

[0243] Example 11

[0244] Al-15.6Er-7.8Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition from the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0245] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0246] 0.60 kg of pure Al, 3.90 kg of pure Mg, 39 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 3.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.20 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burn-out.

[0247] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0248] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 670 MPa, the tensile strength is 688 MPa, and the elongation is 4.4%. The tensile curve is as follows Figure 25 shown.

[0249] Example 12

[0250] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-14.6Er-7.8Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0251] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0252] 2.10 kg of pure Al, 3.90 kg of pure Mg, 36.50 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.20 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy block, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0253] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0254] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation measured by the test method of Example 1 are 668 MPa, 681 MPa and 5.1%, respectively. The tensile curve is shown in FIG. Figure 26 shown.

[0255] Example 13

[0256] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-5.0Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.3Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0257] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0258] 27.50 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 12.5 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 1.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.08 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of Mg and Zr recovery of 95%.

[0259] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0260] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 443 MPa, the tensile strength is 560 MPa, the elongation is 11%, and the tensile curve is as follows: Figure 27 shown.

[0261] Example 14

[0262] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-5.5Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0263] 1) Raw material preparation:

[0264] 26.50 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 13.75 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Sc, and Zr, 0.12 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout.

[0265] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0266] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 527 MPa, the tensile strength is 611 MPa, and the elongation is 12.3%. The tensile curve is as follows Figure 28 shown.

[0267] Example 15

[0268] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-5.0Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0269] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0270] 29.50 kg of pure Al, 1.50 kg of pure Mg, 12.50 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 3.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and 0.08 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg and Zr.

[0271] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0272] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 is 468 MPa, the tensile strength is 551 MPa, the elongation is 10.7%, and the tensile curve is as follows: Figure 29 shown.

[0273] Example 16

[0274] From the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, Al-5.0Er-3.0Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0275] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0276] 28.50 kg of pure Al, 1.50 kg of pure Mg, 12.50 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.08 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0277] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0278] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 512 MPa, 571 MPa and 7.0% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 30 shown.

[0279] Example 17

[0280] Al-5.2Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.7Zr was selected as the nominal composition from the chemical composition range of Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0281] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0282] 26.25 kg of pure Al, 4.25 kg of pure Mg, 13 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 3.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and 0.22 kg of pure Mg and 0.18 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout, based on the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg and Zr.

[0283] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0284] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 498 MPa, 564 MPa and 9.2% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 31 shown.

[0285] Example 18

[0286] Al-5.2Er-8.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.5Sc-0.4Zr was selected as the nominal composition of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0287] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0288] 26.25 kg of pure Al, 4.25 kg of pure Mg, 13 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, 2.5 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 2 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.22 kg of pure Mg, 0.13 kg of Al-10Sc master alloy blocks, and 0.10 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed to supplement the raw materials for burnout.

[0289] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 2.

[0290] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation measured by the test method of Example 1 are 512 MPa, 599 MPa and 10.6%, respectively. Figure 32 shown.

[0291] Example 19

[0292] Al-10.8Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn was selected as the nominal composition of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0293] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0294] 17.75 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 27 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, and 3 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block were weighed as raw materials. Based on the standard of Mg recovery rate of 95%, 0.12 kg of pure Mg was additionally weighed as the burn-off part to supplement the raw materials.

[0295] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0296] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 507 MPa, 586 MPa and 8.0% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 33 shown.

[0297] Example 20

[0298] Al-5.5Er-4.5Mg-0.6Mn-0.1Zr was selected as the nominal composition in the chemical composition range of the Al-Er-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0299] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0300] 30.50 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 13.75 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 2.5 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, and 0.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.03 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0301] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0302] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 504 MPa, 572 MPa and 8.3% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 34 shown.

[0303] Example 21

[0304] Al-7Er-4.5Mg-0.5Mn-0.3Zr with low Er content was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation. The preparation steps are as follows:

[0305] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0306] 26.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 17.50 kg of Al-20Er master alloy blocks, 2.5 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy blocks, 1.5 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy blocks, and 2.5 kg of Al-2Sc master alloy blocks were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of 95% recovery rate of Mg, Zr, and Sc, 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.125 kg of Al-10Zr and Al-2Sc master alloy blocks were additionally weighed as raw materials to supplement the burn-out.

[0307] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0308] The yield strength, tensile strength and elongation were 525 MPa, 580 MPa and 12.9% respectively, as measured by the test method of Example 1. Figure 35 shown.

[0309] Examples 1-21 demonstrate that the high-strength aluminum-erbium alloy powder for additive manufacturing (AM) of the present invention exhibits excellent solidification and formability, allowing for the production of complete bulk materials. The as-printed alloy exhibits few defects and a bimodal grain structure composed of fine equiaxed and columnar crystals. In particular, a low-stacking-fault-energy Al3Er eutectic network is formed within the micron-scale columnar crystal regions, strengthening the material while providing plasticity through self-deformation. These microstructures enhance the yield strength, tensile strength, and elongation of the as-printed alloy, resulting in excellent overall mechanical properties. In particular, the yield strength surpasses all currently available AM aluminum alloy systems.

[0310] Comparative Example 1

[0311] As a comparative example, Al-3Er-4.5Mg-0.5Mn-0.1Zr with low Er content was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation, and the preparation steps were as follows:

[0312] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0313] 37.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 7.5 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 2.5 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 0.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.03 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as the raw materials to be replenished for burn-out.

[0314] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0315] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 was 382 MPa, the tensile strength was 460 MPa, and the elongation was 13.2%.

[0316] The Al3Er eutectic network structure inside the bulk material of this comparative example is discontinuous. Figure 36 This is the main reason why its strength is significantly lower than that of other embodiments of the present invention.

[0317] Comparative Example 2

[0318] As a comparative example, Al-1Er-4.5Mg-0.5Mn-0.1Zr with low Er content was selected as the nominal composition for powder preparation, and the preparation steps were as follows:

[0319] (1) Raw material preparation:

[0320] 42.25 kg of pure Al, 2.25 kg of pure Mg, 2.5 kg of Al-20Er master alloy block, 2.5 kg of Al-10Mn master alloy block, and 0.50 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were weighed as raw materials, and according to the standard of Mg and Zr recovery rate of 95%, 0.12 kg of pure Mg and 0.03 kg of Al-10Zr master alloy block were additionally weighed as the raw materials to be replenished for burn-out.

[0321] (2) (3) The preparation steps are the same as those in Example 1.

[0322] The yield strength measured by the test method of Example 1 was 323 MPa, the tensile strength was 415 MPa, and the elongation was 14.3%.

[0323] Test Case

[0324] The yield strength and tensile strength of the printed aggregate blocks prepared in the above examples are summarized in Table 1 below:

[0325] Table 1

[0326]

[0327] The yield strength and tensile strength of the printed aggregate blocks prepared in the above comparative examples are summarized in Table 2 below:

[0328] Table 2

[0329]

[0330] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention are for purposes of illustration and description. These descriptions are not intended to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and it is apparent that many variations and modifications are possible in light of the foregoing teachings. The exemplary embodiments have been selected and described for the purpose of explaining the specific principles of the invention and their practical application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to realize and utilize a variety of exemplary embodiments of the invention and various options and modifications. The scope of the invention is intended to be defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An aluminum alloy comprising: 5.0-10.8 wt% erbium (Er); 3.0-8.5 wt% magnesium (Mg); 0.5-0.6 wt% manganese (Mn); 0.1-0.7 wt% zirconium (Zr); and 0-1 wt% scandium (Sc); As the balance, aluminum (Al) and inevitable impurities, The aluminum alloy is produced in a powder form that is used in an additive manufacturing process.

2. The aluminum alloy according to claim 1, wherein Contains 0-0.5 wt% of Sc.

3. The aluminum alloy according to claim 1, wherein Contains 0.1 wt% or 0.5 wt% of Sc.

4. The aluminum alloy according to claim 1, wherein Include: 10.8 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or, 10.8 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or, 10.8 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or, 10.8 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or, 5.0 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.3 wt% Zr; or, 5.5 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or, 5.0 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.7 wt% Zr; or, 5.0 wt% Er, 3.0 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.5 wt% Sc, 0.40 wt% Zr; or, 5.2 wt% Er, 8.5 wt% Mg, 0.6 wt% Mn, 0.50 wt% Sc, 0.4 wt% Zr; or, 7.0 wt% Er, 4.5 wt% Mg, 0.5 wt% Mn, 0.3 wt% Zr, 0.1 wt% Sc.

5. The aluminum alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The aluminum alloy presents a twin-grain morphology in which columnar crystals and equiaxed crystals coexist.

6. The aluminum alloy according to claim 5, wherein The grain size of the aluminum alloy is between 500 nm and 2 μm.

7. The aluminum alloy according to claim 5, wherein The columnar crystals contain a continuous Al3Er cellular eutectic network structure.

8. The aluminum alloy according to claim 7, wherein In the network structure, the size of the network unit is 300-400nm.

9. The aluminum alloy according to claim 7, wherein The Al3Er cellular eutectic network structure contains a twin structure.

10. The method for preparing the aluminum alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising: The aluminum alloy is prepared by a rapid solidification process.

11. The preparation method according to claim 10, wherein The rapid solidification process is powdered by atomization.

12. The preparation method according to claim 11, wherein The atomization powder making includes one or more selected from gas atomization, rotary electrode atomization and ultrasonic atomization.

13. The preparation method according to claim 10, wherein The preparation method of the aluminum alloy comprises: preparing an aluminum alloy prefabricated ingot by smelting, and preparing the aluminum alloy powder by a gas atomization powder making method.

14. The preparation method according to claim 13, wherein The preparation of the aluminum alloy prefabricated ingot comprises the following steps: S1. According to the weight ratio of the chemical components of the aluminum alloy, pure Al, pure Mg, Al-Er master alloy block, Al-Mn master alloy block, and Al-Zr master alloy block are weighed as raw materials respectively. Optionally, the raw materials also include an Al-Sc master alloy block; S2, mixing pure Al and Al-Er master alloy blocks, heating, melting and stirring to obtain melt A; S3, adding the Al-Mn master alloy block to melt A, heating, melting and stirring to obtain melt B; When the aluminum alloy contains Sc, an Al-Sc master alloy block is also added to the melt A; S4, pressing pure Mg into melt B to obtain melt C; S5, adding a refining agent and a covering agent to the melt obtained in step S4 and vacuum degassing to obtain a melt D; S6. After removing the slag, the melt D is poured into a preheated mold to obtain a metal ingot.

15. An additively manufactured component made from the gas atomized powder of the aluminum alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

16. The component according to claim 15, wherein The component has a yield strength greater than 440 MPa, a tensile strength greater than 550 MPa, and an elongation greater than 10%.

17. The component according to claim 15, wherein After the component is kept at 250-350° C. for 5-40 minutes, the component has a yield strength greater than 580 MPa, a tensile strength greater than 630 MPa, and an elongation greater than 8%.

18. A method of manufacturing a component, comprising: Manufacturing the powder form of the aluminum alloy according to any one of claims 1 to 9; The powder form is used in an additive manufacturing process to produce the component.

19. The method of manufacturing a component according to claim 18, wherein: The additive manufacturing includes one or more selected from laser selective melting additive manufacturing, laser directed energy deposition additive manufacturing, electron beam selective melting additive manufacturing and electron beam directed energy deposition additive manufacturing.

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