Effect of TiB2 particles on microstructure and crystallographic texture of Al-12Si fabricated by selective laser melting

Pronounced crystallographic texture, characteristic for the parts manufactured by selective laser melting, is eliminated upon addition of TiB2 microparticles to Al-12Si powder. Due to the wetting of TiB2 ceramic by Al-12Si melt and a high inoculation efficiency, a homogeneous microstructure consisting of fine equiaxed grains with random crystallographic orientation is formed by SLM processing of the Al-12Si/ TiB2 powder mixture. The Al-12Si/TiB2 samples exhibit enhanced yield strength and microhardness, compared to the TiB2-free Al-12Si samples produced at the same SLM conditions. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.