Novel heat-resistant Al-Si-Ni-Fe alloy manufactured by selective laser melting

The novel Al-Si-Ni-Fe alloy with high compression strength at elevated temperatures has been successfully produced by selective laser melting at an average volumetric energy density of about 100 J/mm(3) and has a relative density of 99,86%. The hardness of as fabricated Al-Si-Ni-Fe alloy is 186HV and it decreases during heat treatment to 124HV due to stress relief and silicon particle growth. The yield compression stress is 355 MPa at 200 degrees C. This high strength is provided by the fine structure formed by the Si, Al5Fe (Ni,Cu) and Al-3(Ni,Cu) phases. The good strength properties of the alloy at elevated temperatures make it a quite promising lightweight material for high temperature applications. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.