Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 9, 2025
08:58
Processing of Bulk Nanocrystalline Metals at the US Army Research Laboratory
Published on: March 7, 2018
9.5K
Phase-Field Simulation of Microstructure Formation in Gas-Atomized Al-Cu-Li-Mg Powders
May Pwint Phyu1,2, Frank Adjei-Kyeremeh1, Piyada Suwanpinij2,3
1Foundry Institute, RWTH Aachen University, Intzestraße 5, 52072 Aachen, Germany.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|February 25, 2023
Summary
Phase-field simulations reveal that lithium addition to Al-Cu powders increases copper segregation, promoting secondary phase precipitation. Magnesium addition benefits T1 precipitate formation, but excessive amounts hinder it.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Metallurgy
- Computational Materials Science
Background:
- Additive manufacturing (AM) of Al-Cu-Li (2xxx series) powders relies on rapid solidification processes like gas atomization.
- Understanding powder particle microstructural evolution during solidification is crucial for optimizing AM processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the microstructural evolution of gas-atomized Al-Cu-Li powder particles during solidification.
- Analyze the impact of lithium and magnesium on phase formation and precipitation kinetics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized phase-field simulations with the MICRESS software tool.
- Studied Al-Cu and Al-Cu-Li systems with varying magnesium content.
Main Results:
- Lithium addition decreased copper solid solubility, increasing interdendritic copper segregation and secondary precipitate mass fraction.
- Magnesium positively influenced T1 (Al2CuLi) nucleation and precipitation, consistent with conventional casting findings.
- Increased magnesium content (0.28 to 0.35 wt.%) had minimal effect on T1 phase nucleation and amount; higher content (0.49 wt.%) decreased T1 fraction and delayed its formation.
Conclusions:
- Lithium and magnesium content significantly influence secondary phase precipitation in Al-Cu-Li powders.
- Optimizing magnesium content is critical for controlling T1 and S' (AlCu2Mg) phase fractions during solidification for additive manufacturing applications.
