In this study, machine learning models are proposed to predict the Vickers hardness of AlSi10Mg alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). A total of 113 utilizable datasets were collected from the literature. The hyperparameters of the machine-learning models were adjusted to select an accurate predictive model. The random forest regression (RFR) model showed the best performance compared to support vector regression, artificial neural networks, and k-nearest neighbors. The variable importance and prediction mechanisms of the RFR were discussed by Shapley additive explanation (SHAP). Aging time had the greatest influence on the Vickers hardness, followed by solution time, solution temperature, layer thickness, scan speed, power, aging temperature, average particle size, and hatching distance. Detailed prediction mechanisms for RFR are analyzed using SHAP dependence plots.

In order to broaden the range of application of light weight aluminum alloys, it is necessary to enhance the mechanical properties of the alloys and combine them with other materials, such as cast iron. In this study, the effects of adding small amounts of Cu and Zr to the Al-Si-Mg based alloy on tensile properties and corrosion characteristics were investigated, and the effect of the addition on the interfacial compounds layer with the cast iron was also analyzed. Although the tensile strength of the Al-Si-Mg alloy was not significantly affected by the additions of Cu and Zr, the corrosion resistance in 3.5 %NaCl solution was found to be somewhat lowered in this research. The influence of Cu and Zr addition on the type and thickness of the interfacial compounds layer formed during compound casting with cast iron was not significant, and the main interfacial compounds were identified to be Al5FeSi and Al8Fe2Si phases, as in the case of the Al-Si-Mg alloys.

In the flux used in the batch galvanizing process, the effect of the component ratio of NH₄Cl to ZnCl₂ on the microstructure, coating adhesion, and corrosion resistance of Zn-Mg-Al ternary alloy-coated steel is evaluated. Many defects such as cracks and bare spots are formed inside the Zn-Mg-Al coating layer during treatment with the flux composition generally used for Zn coating. Deterioration of the coating property is due to the formation of AlClx mixture generated by the reaction of Al element and chloride in the flux. The coatability of the Zn-Mg-Al alloy coating is improved by increasing the content of ZnCl2 in the flux to reduce the amount of chlorine reacting with Al while maintaining the flux effect and the coating adhesion is improved as the component ratio of NH4Cl to ZnCl2 decreases. Zn-Mg-Al alloy-coated steel products treated with the optimized flux composition of NH₄Cl•3ZnCl₂ show superior corrosion resistance compared to Zn-coated steel products, even with a coating weight of 60 %.

The precipitation effect of Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu-(Ti) alloy (in wt.%) after various heat treatments was studied using a laser flash device (LFA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Solid solution treatment was performed at 535 oC for 6 h, followed by water cooling, and samples were artificially aged in air at 180 oC and 220 oC for 5 h. The titanium-free alloy Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu showed higher thermal diffusivity than did the Al-6%Si-0.4%Mg-0.9%Cu-0.2%Ti alloy over the entire temperature range. In the temperature ranges below 200 oC and above 300 oC, the value of thermal diffusivity decreased with increasing temperature. As the sample temperature increased between 200 oC and 400 oC, phase precipitation occurred. From the results of DSC analysis, the temperature dependence of the change in thermal diffusivity in the temperature range between 200 oC and 400 oC was strongly influenced by the precipitation of θ'-Al2Cu, β'-Mg2Si, and Si phases. The most important factor in the temperature dependence of thermal diffusivity was Si precipitation.

In this study, AlSi10Mg alloy powders are synthesized using gas atomization and sieving processes for powder bed fusion (PBF) additive manufacturing. The effect of nozzle diameter (ø = 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 and 8.0 mm) on the gas atomization and sieving size on the properties of the prepared powder are investigated. As the nozzle diameter decreases, the size of the manufactured powder decreases, and the uniformity of the particle size distribution improves. Therefore, the ø 4.0 mm nozzle diameter yields powder with superior properties. Spherically shaped powders can be prepared at a scale suitable for the PBF process with a particle size distribution of 10–45 μm. The Hausner ratio value of the powder is measured to be 1.24. In addition, the yield fraction of the powder prepared in this study is 26.6%, which is higher than the previously reported value of 10–15%. These results indicate that the nozzle diameter and the post-sieve process simultaneously influence the shape of the prepared powder as well as the satellite powder on its surface.

In this study, high temperature wetting analysis and AZ80/Ti interfacial structure observation are performed for the mixture of AZ80 and Ti, and the effect of Al on wetting in Mg alloy is examined. Both molten AZ80 and pure Mg have excellent wettability because the wet angle between molten droplets and the Ti substrate is about 10° from initial contact. Wetting angle decreases with time, and wetting phenomenon continues between droplets and substrate; the change in wetting angle does not show a significant difference when comparing AZ80-Ti and Mg-Ti. As a result of XRD of the lower surface of the AZ80-Ti sample, in addition to the Ti peak of the substrate, the peak of TiAl3, which is a Ti-Al intermetallic compound, is confirmed, and TiAl3 is generated in the Al enrichment region of the Ti substrate surface. EDS analysis is performed on the droplet tip portion of the sample section in which pure Mg droplets are dropped on the Ti substrate. Concentration of oxygen by the natural oxide film is not confirmed on the Ti surface, but oxygen is distributed at the tip of the droplet on the Mg side. Molten AZ80 and Ti-based compound phases are produced by thickening of Al in the vicinity of Ti after wetting is completed, and Al in the Mg alloy does not affect the wetting. The driving force of wetting progression is a thermite reaction that occurs between Mg and TiO2, and then Al in AZ80 thickens on the Ti substrate interface to form an intermetallic compound.

Effects of Sc addition on microstructure, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and mechanical properties of the as-cast and as-extruded Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg-xSc (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5 wt%) alloys are investigated. The average grain size of the as-cast Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg alloy is 2,334 μm; however, this value drops to 914 and 529 μm with addition of Sc element at 0.25 wt% and 0.5 wt%, respectively. This grain refinement is due to primary Al3Sc phase forming during solidification. The as-extruded Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg alloy has a recrystallization structure consisting of almost equiaxed grains. However, the asextruded Sc-containing alloys consist of grains that are extremely elongated in the extrusion direction. In addition, it is found that the proportion of low-angle grain boundaries below 15 degree is dominant. This is because the addition of Sc results in the formation of coherent and nano-scale Al3Sc phases during hot extrusion, inhibiting the process of recrystallization and improving the strength by pinning of dislocations and the formation of subgrain boundaries. The maximum values of the yield and tensile strength are 126 MPa and 215 MPa for the as-extruded Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg-0.25Sc alloy, respectively. The increase in strength is probably due to the existence of nano-scale Al3Sc precipitates and dense Al2Cu phases. Thermal conductivity of the as-cast Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg-xSc alloy is reduced to 204, 187 and 183 W/MK by additions of elemental Sc of 0, 0.25 and 0.5 wt%, respectively. On the other hand, the thermal conductivity of the as-extruded Al-2Zn-1Cu-0.3Mg-xSc alloy is about 200 W/Mk regardless of the content of Sc. This is because of the formation of coherent Al3Sc phase, which decreases Sc content and causes extremely high electrical resistivity.

The annealing characteristics of cold-rolled Al-6.5Mg-1.5Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Mn alloy, newly designed as an automobile material, are investigated in detail, and compared with those of other aluminum alloys. Using multi-pass rolling at room temperature, the ingot aluminum alloy is cut to a thickness of 4 mm, width of 30 mm, and length of 100 mm to reduce the thickness to 1 mm (r = 75 %). Annealing after rolling is performed at various temperatures ranging from 200 to 500 oC for 1 hour. The specimens annealed at temperatures up to 300 oC show a deformation structure; however, from 350 oC they have a recrystallization structure consisting of almost equiaxed grains. The hardness distribution in the thickness direction of the annealed specimens is homogeneous at all annealing temperatures, and their average hardness decreases with increasing annealing temperature. The tensile strength of the as-rolled specimen shows a high value of 496 MPa; however, this value decreases with increasing annealing temperature and becomes 338MPa after annealing at 400 oC. These mechanical properties of the specimens are compared with those of other aluminum alloys, including commercial 5xxx system alloys.

In this work, we study physical and mechanical properties of oxide films formed on AZ91D magnesium alloy by plasma anodization at different temperatures. It is found that the higher the electrolyte temperature, the lower is the breakdown voltage of oxide layer. This is probably because films formed at higher temperatures are thinner and denser. Moreover, electrolyte temperature plays an important role in the physical properties of the films. As the electrolyte temperature increases from 20 to 50℃, the hardness of the oxide layer increases. Friction test against steel balls indicates that wear scars become narrower for films formed at higher temperatures because the films are harder, as indicated by the Vickers hardness. The thinner and denser nature of the oxide film formed at 50°C is also advantageous for heat transfer when film is used as a heat sink. Laser flash test results show very fast heat transfer for AZ91D with plasma anodized oxide layer formed at higher temperatures.

Oxide coatings are formed on die-cast AZ91D Mg alloy through an environmentally friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO) process using an electrolytic solution of NaAlO2, KOH, and KF. The effects of PEO condition with different duty cycles (10 %, 20 %, and 40 %) and frequencies(500 Hz, 1,000 Hz, and 2,000 Hz) on the crystal phase, composition, microstructure, and micro-hardness properties of the oxide coatings are investigated. The oxide coatings on die-cast AZ91D Mg alloy mainly consist of MgO and MgAl2O4 phases. The proportion of each crystalline phase depends on various electrical parameters, such as duty cycle and frequency. The surfaces of oxide coatings exhibit as craters of pancake-shaped oxide melting and solidification particles. The pore size and surface roughness of the oxide coating increase considerably with increase in the number of duty cycles, while the densification and thickness of oxide coatings increase progressively. Differences in the growth mechanism may be attributed to differences in oxide growth during PEO treatment that occur because the applied operating voltage is insufficient to reach breakdown voltage at higher frequencies. PEO treatment also results in the oxide coating having strong adhesion properties on the Mg alloy. The micro-hardness at the cross-section of oxide coatings is much higher not only compared to that on the surface but also compared to that of the conventional anodizing oxide coatings. The oxide coatings are found to improve the micro-hardness with the increase in the number of duty cycles, which suggests that various electrical parameters, such as duty cycle and frequency, are among the key factors controlling the structural and physical properties of the oxide coating.

In this study, Al-Si-Mg alloys are additively manufactured using a selective laser melting (SLM) process from AlSi10Mg powders prepared from a gas-atomization process. The processing parameters such as laser scan speed and laser power are investigated for 3D printing of Al-Si-Mg alloys. The laser scan speeds vary from 100 to 2000 mm/ s at the laser power of 180 and 270W, respectively, to achieve optimized densification of the Al-Si-Mg alloy. It is observed that the relative density of the Al-Si-Mg alloy reaches a peak value of 99% at 1600 mm/s for 180W and at 2000 mm/s for 270W. The surface morphologies of the both Al-Si-Mg alloy samples at these conditions show significantly reduced porosities compared to those of other samples. The increase in hardness of as-built Al-Si-Mg alloy with increasing scan speed and laser power is analyzed due to high relative density. Furthermore, it was found that cooling conditions after the heat-treatment for homogenization results in the change of dispersion status of Si phases in the Al-Si matrix but also affects tensile behaviors of Al-Si-Mg alloys. These results indicate that combination between SLM processing parameters and post-heat treatment should be considered a key factor to achieve optimized Al-Si alloy performance.

In this study, the effect of pre-aging treatment for inhibition of natural aging of Al-4.8Zn-1.3Mg alloy by extrusion process was investigated. Firstly, the as-cast microstructure of Al-4.8Zn-1.3Mg alloy billet and its evolution during homogenization(460℃, 4h + 510℃, 5h) were investigated by means of optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), hardness analysis. The as-cast microstructures of Al-4.8Zn-1.3Mg alloy reveal Mg2Zn, Al5Cu, Al3Cu formed between dendrities. After homogenization, MgZn, Al4Cu, Al13Cu phases precipitated into the matrix. In addition, standard deviation of homogenized billet was improved than as-cast billet from 2.62 to 0.99. According to pre-aging(100℃, 1h) Al-4.8Zn-1.3Mg alloy by extrusion process, yield strength and tensile strength deviation improved more than condition by natural aging.

The annealing characteristics of a cold rolled Al-6.5Mg-1.5Zn alloy newly designed as an automobile material is investigated in detail. The aluminum alloy in the ingot state is cut to a thickness of 4 mm, a total width of 30 mm and a length of 100 mm and then reduced to a thickness of 1 mm (reduction of 75%) by multi-pass rolling at room temperature. Annealing after rolling is performed at temperatures ranging from 200 to 400 ℃ for 1 hour. The tensile strength of the annealed material tends to decrease with the annealing temperature and shows a maximum tensile strength of 482MPa in the material annealed at 200 ℃. The tensile elongation of the annealed material increases with the annealing temperature, while the tensile strength does not, and reaches a maximum value of 26 % at the 350 ℃ annealed material. For the microstructure, recovery and recrystallization actively occur as the annealing temperature increases. The recrystallization begins to occur at 300 ℃ and is completed at 350 ℃, which results in the formation of a fine grained structure. After the rolling, the rolling texture of {112}<111>(Cu-Orientation) develops, but after the annealing a specific texture does not develop.

In this study, an Al-0.7wt%Fe-0.2wt%Mg-0.2wt%Cu-0.02wt%B alloy was designed to fabricate an aluminum alloy for electrical wire having both high strength and high conductivity. The designed Al alloy was processed by casting, extrusion and drawing processes. Especially, the drawing process was done by severe deformation of a rod with an initial diameter of 12 mm into a wire of 2 mm diameter; process was equivalent to an effective strain of 3.58, and the total reduction in area was 97 %. The drawn Al alloy wire was then annealed at various temperatures of 200 to 400 °C for 30 minutes. The mechanical properties, microstructural changes and electrical properties of the annealed specimens were investigated. As the annealing temperature increased, the tensile strength decreased and the elongation increased. Recovery or/and recrystallization occurred as annealing temperature increased, and complete recrystallization occurred at annealing temperatures over 300 °C. Electric conductivity increased with increasing temperature up to 250 °C, but no significant change was observed above 300 °C. It is concluded that, from the viewpoint of the mechanical and electrical properties, the specimen annealed at 350 oC is the most suitable for the wire drawn Al alloy electrical wire.

Oxide layers were formed by an environmentally friendly plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) process on AZ91 Mg alloy. PEO treatment also resulted in strong adhesion between the oxide layer and the substrate. The influence of the KF electrolytic solution and the structure, composition, microstructure, and micro-hardness properties of the oxide layer were investigated. It was found that the addition of KF instead of KOH to the Na2SiO3 electrolytic solution increased the electrical conductivity. The oxide layers were mainly composed of MgO and Mg2SiO4 phases. The oxide layers exhibited solidification particles and pancake-shaped oxide melting. The pore size and surface roughness of the oxide layer decreased considerably with an increase in the concentration of KF, while densification of the oxide layers increased. It is shown that the addition of KF to the basis electrolyte resulted in fabricating of an oxide layer with higher surface hardness and smoother surface roughness on Mg alloys by the PEO process. The uniform thickness of the oxide layer formed on the Mg alloy substrates was largely determined by the electrolytic solution with KF, which suggests that the composition of the electrolytic solution is one of the key factors controlling the uniform thickness of the oxide layer.

In this study, the mechanical characteristics with micro structure were analyzed on the butt joint of AZ60 magnesium material extruded by GMAW and GTAW processes. As the result of tensile test, the fracture in the welding joint area happened at both processes and seemed to be brittle fracture. The yield strength of GMAW was 84.29% and GTAW was 60.43% as compared with base metal. The yield strength of GMAW was higher 23.86% than that of GTAW. The result of decreased micro hardness was indicated at both processes. The value of minimum micro hardness in FZ at GMAW was Hv 46.7 and GTAW was Hv 43.6 as compared with base metal. The value of minimum micro hardness at GMAW process was higher 5.64 % than that at GTAW process. The size of grain boundary at GMAW process in HAZ is smaller than that at GTAW process. GMAW process is more superior than GTAW process from the productivity and quality in case of automatic welding for magnesium alloy such as the automobile seat frame.

Al-Si-SiC composite powders with intra-granular SiC particles were prepared by a gas atomization process. The composite powders were mixed with Al-Zn-Mg alloy powders as a function of weight percent. Those mixture powders were compacted with the pressure of 700 MPa and then sintered at the temperature of 565-585˚C. T6 heat treatment was conducted to increase their mechanical properties by solid-solution precipitates. Each relative density according to the optimized sintering temperature of those powders were determined as 96% at 580˚C for Al-Zn-Mg powders (composition A), 97.9% at 575˚C for Al-Zn-Mg powders with 5 wt.% of Al-Si-SiC powders (composition B), and 98.2% at 570˚C for Al-Zn-Mg powders with 10 wt.% of Al-Si-SiC powders (composition C), respectively. Each hardness, tensile strength, and wear resistance test of those sintered samples was conducted. As the content of Al-Si-SiC powders increased, both hardness and tensile strength were decreased. However, wear resistance was increased by the increase of Al-Si-SiC powders. From these results, it was confirmed that Al-Si-SiC/Al-Zn-Mg composite could be highly densified by the sintering process, and thus the composite could have high wear resistance and tensile strength when the content of Al-Si-SiC composite powders were optimized.

일반적으로 중성용액 하에서 알루미늄 합금은 부동태피막(Al2O3나 Al2O3·3H2O)을 형성한다. 그러나, 해수 환경에서 염소이온이 표면에 생성된 부동태 피막을 파괴하여 부식이 발생하게 된다. 본 연구에서는 해수환경 하에서 부식 문제점을 해결하기 위해 Al-4.5%Mg-0.6%Mn 알루미늄 합금에 대하여 정전위 방식 기술을 적용하였다. 분극실험결과, 개로전위보다 귀한 전위에서는 활성 용해 반응이 나타났으며 개로전위 보다 비한 전위에서는 용존산소 환원에 의한 농도 분극과 활성화 분극이 관찰되었다. 정전위 실험결과, 농도 분극에서 활성화 분극으로 전환되는 전위부터 적용 시간이 증가할수록 전착물이 많이 생성되었으며, 부분적으로 전착물과 모재의 계면사이에서 틈부식이 관찰되었다. 전체적으로 정전위 양극분극실험시, 활성용해반응이 발생하여 정전위 방식 기술을 적용하기 어려운 반면, 정전위 음극분극 실험시 방식 전위인 농도분극 범위내에서 적용 시간을 고려하여 최적 방식 조건을 -1.1 V~-0.75 V로 규명하였다.