Microstructure Characteristics and In-Situ Crack Nucleation in Additive Friction Stir Deposited Al–Mg–Si Alloy
摘要
The aluminum alloy (AA6061-T6) was 3D printed in a box-shaped structure using a solid-state additive manufacturing (AM) technique known as additive friction stir deposition (AFSD). The macrostructure exhibited a distinct layered morphology, and the micro-texture observed through electron backscattered diffraction analysis revealed shear components of crystallographic texture. The deposited layer revealed hardness values ranging from 50 to 54 HV. Tensile properties, assessed through profilometry-based indentation, showed an average yield strength of 103 ± 6 MPa, which closely corresponds to results from bulk tensile testing. Additionally, in-situ testing, combined with digital image correlation (DIC), was employed to investigate the effect of lubrication used during deposition on crack initiation and strain localization. Samples tested along the build direction demonstrated 50 pct higher elongation in the absence of lubrication coating compared to those with lubrication coating. However, the maximum elongation for samples tested along the build direction was ~ 40 pct lower than that of samples tested perpendicular to the build directions. These observations highlight the anisotropic deformation characteristics associated with the layered microstructure produced by AFSD.