Effect of Samarium (Sm) Addition on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AA5083 Alloy

Researchers are interested in reaping the potential benefits of incorporating small amounts of rare earth elements into aluminum alloys to attain finer grain size and to improve mechanical properties like toughness. This research investigates the effects of samarium (Sm) addition at concentrations of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% by weight on the microstructural and mechanical properties of AA5083 alloy. Optical microscopy (OM), field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEGSEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), tensile testing machine (UTM), Vickers microhardness testing, and Charpy instrumented impact test were employed to evaluate the microstructure and mechanical properties of both as cast and solution treated (ST) samples. The samarium (Sm) is a beneficial grain refiner, leading to tailored properties in the AA5083 alloy. The results indicate that adding 1 wt% Sm generated significant enhancements in mechanical properties, such as tensile strength increased by 236 MPa and an elongation of 13.1% with a 27% reduction in grain size. However, incorporating 1.5 wt% Sm had an adverse impact on material properties, such as the grain size of the material increased by 22.73% and reduction in the tensile strength by 31%, corresponding to 1 wt% Sm added AA5083 alloy. Impact energy was reduced with the addition of Sm to the AA5083 alloy, both in as cast and ST samples. Furthermore, fractography was performed after impact and tensile testing.