Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Al-Cu-Mg Alloy Fabricated by Double-Wire CMT Arc Additive Manufacturing

The high cracking sensitivity of Al-Cu-Mg alloy limits its application in wire + arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). In this paper, a double-wire cold metal transfer (CMT) arc additive manufacturing system was applied. ER2319 and ER5183 wires were selected as feedstocks and a new type of high-strength, crack-free Al-Cu-Mg alloy was manufactured. T6 (solution and artificial aging) heat treatment was conducted to further improve the mechanical properties. The microstructure, the second phase, distribution of main alloy elements and fracture morphology of Al-Cu-Mg alloys in both as-deposited and T6 heat-treated conditions were analyzed by optical micrographs (OM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The micro-hardness and tensile properties of WAAM Al-Cu-Mg alloy in both as-deposited and T6 heat-treated conditions were tested. The results demonstrated that the microstructure of the as-deposited Al-Cu-Mg alloy was composed of short rod-shaped columnar grains, equiaxed grains in the inter-layer region, and coarsen equiaxed grains in the inner-layer region; most of the second phases were continuously distributed along the grain boundaries. After the T6 heat treatment, alpha(Al) grains became coarsened, most of second phases were dissolved, and the Cu and Mg elements were distributed homogeneously in the aluminum matrix. The micro-hardness and strength were significantly improved but the elongation was reduced.