Aluminum alloys, known for their high strength-to-weight ratios and impressive electrical and thermal conductivities, are extensively used in numerous engineering sectors, such as aerospace, automotive, and construction. Recently, significant efforts have been made to develop novel aluminum alloys specifically tailored for additive manufacturing. These new alloys aim to provide an optimal balance between mechanical properties and thermal/ electrical conductivities. In this study, nine combinatorial samples with various alloy compositions were fabricated using direct energy deposition (DED) additive manufacturing by adjusting the feeding speeds of Al6061 alloy and Al-12Si alloy powders. The effects of the alloying elements on the microstructure, electrical conductivity, and hardness were investigated. Generally, as the Si and Cu contents decreased, electrical conductivity increased and hardness decreased, exhibiting trade-off characteristics. However, electrical conductivity and hardness showed an optimal combination when the Si content was adjusted to below 4.5 wt%, which can sufficiently suppress the grain boundary segregation of the α- Si precipitates, and the Cu content was controlled to induce the formation of Al2Cu precipitates.

Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of P/M 6061 Al alloy subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) were investigated. The P/M 6061 Al alloy had an intial grain size of approximately . An equiaxed ultra-fine grained structure with the mean grain size of was obtained by four repetitive ECAP at 473 K. The microhardness of P/M 6061 Al alloy was drastically increased from about 40 Hv to 80 Hv by two repetitive ECAP at 373 K. However, the microhardness decreased with increasing ECAP temperature. The tensile stength of as-hot-pressed P/M 6061 Al alloy before ECAP was 95 MPa, whereas it increased to both 248 MPa after two repetitive ECAP at 373 K and 130 MPa after four repetitive ECAP at 473 K. The tensile properties of the ECAPed sample were compared with those of commercial cast 6061-O and 6061-T4 Al alloys.

석출경화형 6061Al기지합금과 SiC입자크기를 0.7μm 및 7.0μm로 변화시켜 강화한 SiCp/6061Al 합금복합재료의 시효 거동을 경도측정, DSC 시험 및 TEM관찰을 통하여 조사하였다. 170˚C에서 등온시효시 6061Al기지합금에 비하여 복합화한 0.7μmSiCp/6061Al합금복합재료 및 7.0μmSiCP/6061Al합금복합재료에서 최고경도에 도달하는 시간이 짧았으며, 또한 강화재의 크기가 큰 7.0μmSiCp/6061Al합금복합재료에서 시효촉진이 보다 크게 나타났다. 이것은 복합화 및 SiC입자크기 증가에 따른 전위 밀도 상승에 기인한다. 6061Al기지합금 및 복합재료에서 최고시효처리시의 주강화상은 봉상의 중간상 β(Mg2Si)이며,β상 생성의 활성화에너지는 복합화 및 SiG입자크기의 증가에 따라 감소되었다