The densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of (TiB2+SiC)/AlSi10Mg composites manufactured by LPBF

Herein, the (TiB2 + SiC)/AlSi10Mg composites were prepared using a planetary ball mill and fabricated by the LPBF technique. The effects of nano-TiB2 particles and laser power on the densification, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the LPBFed (TiB2 + SiC)/AlSi10Mg composites were investigated. The densification and mechanical properties of composites increase first and then decrease with increasing laser power and nano-TiB2 particle content. Under the optimal processing parameters and nano-TiB2 particle content, 98.3% relative densification of the LPBFed composites was achieved. The LPBFed (TiB2 + SiC)/AlSi10Mg composites had superior mechanical properties, including a tensile strength of 452.8 MPa, a yield strength of 217.2 MPa, and an elongation of 4.33% (increases of 30.8%, 14.3%, and 90.7%, respectively), and the maximum microhardness of 126.7 HV (increase of 6.1%).