Additive manufacturing of advanced aluminum alloys for transportation industry

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The transportation industry is quickly developing higher-efficiency designs for electric vehicles, both for automotive and potentially aerospace applications; electrical flight will be the next big challenge. Weight reduction, which is an essential part of future design modifications in the use of light metals and advanced manufacturing technologies, plays a key role. Light-weight advanced aluminum alloys are in high demand in transportation industries, mainly due to their high specific strength (strength to density ratio), corrosion resistance, weldability and recyclability. Moreover, with the fast emergence of industrialized Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques, mechanical design can be more flexible; i.e. through 3D topologies that allow for weight reduction. The use of most AM techniques for aluminum alloys, however, is currently quite restricted. This is due to metallurgical complexities originating from the interaction between high energy beams and aluminum alloys, where final parts' mechanical properties are highly influenced by temperature history throughout the AM process. The proposed research program aims at addressing such metallurgical issues and elevating the technical know-how for producing sound aluminum AM products with superior properties and optimum designs. A bottom-up, comprehensive approach will be employed, starting with optimization of aluminum feed-stock properties (i.e. powders with superior properties), and then optimization of both AM and post-AM processing. This project will focus on the powder-bed laser AM technique and select aluminum alloys (e.g. within AA5xxx and AA6xxx families of aluminum alloys) with highest appeal in transportation industry. The AM process capability for aluminum alloys is currently very limited, which is due to poorly understood and rarely-addressed metallurgical complexities associated with these alloys. The scientific knowledge and the optimization procedure, developed in this research program, will open a huge opportunity for more in-depth academic research as well as the expansion of the AM market. Of special interest for e.g., the Airbus Group GmbH, 3D printed components of specific grades of AA5xxx series aluminum alloys (AlMgSc) are under rigorous development for which the proposed research program will provide critical know-how. Also, this knowledge will be widely applicable to other alloys of interest to Canadian industry (e.g. AA7xxx series for Bombardier). The high-quality training the graduates of this research program will receive will allow them to develop a unique set of skills in process design and trouble-shooting for quality improvement in additive manufacturing of sensitive metals, such as aluminum alloys. Such expertise is in high demand for R&D centers and academic institutions around the world in a rapidly-growing metal additive manufacturing industry as well as academic research.