Mechanical spectroscopy study of as-cast and additive manufactured AlSi10Mg

The AlSi10Mg alloy produced by casting (AC) and additive manufacturing (AM) technology of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) has been investigated through mechanical spectroscopy (MS). In addition to the grain boundary peak PGB the Q−1 curves of both materials exhibit two other relaxation peaks, P1 (H = 0.8 ± 0.05 eV; τ0 = 10−11±1 s) and P2 (H = 1.0 ± 0.05 eV; τ0 = 10−13±1 s), depending on the interaction of dislocations with solute elements (Si and Mg). Relaxation strengths of P1, P2 and PGB of AM alloy are greater than those of the AC one owing to the finer structure of Al cells and the higher amount of Si and Mg in supersaturated solid solution induced by the rapid solidification typical of the L-PBF process. After successive MS test runs relaxation strengths of P1 and P2 peaks in both the examined materials decrease due to the precipitation of Si atoms and dislocation density recovery. Such decrease is more pronounced in AM alloy where change of cell shape and increase of cell size is observed. Dynamic modulus of AM alloy exhibits an anomalous trend in the first test run that is no more present in successive runs. The irreversible process giving rise to such anomalous behavior is the closure of pores of nanometric size.