Laser Powder-Bed Fusion of Ceramic Particulate Reinforced Aluminum Alloys: A Review

Aluminum (Al) and its alloys are the second most used materials spanning industrial applications in automotive, aircraft and aerospace industries. To comply with the industrial demand for high-performance aluminum alloys with superb mechanical properties, one promising approach is reinforcement with ceramic particulates. Laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF) of Al alloy powders provides vast freedom in design and allows fabrication of aluminum matrix composites with significant grain refinement and textureless microstructure. This review paper evaluates the trends in in situ and ex situ reinforcement of aluminum alloys by ceramic particulates, while analyzing their effect on the material properties and process parameters. The current research efforts are mainly directed toward additives for grain refinement to improve the mechanical performance of the printed parts. Reinforcing additives has been demonstrated as a promising perspective for the industrialization of Al-based composites produced via laser powder-bed fusion technique. In this review, attention is mainly paid to borides (TiB(2), LaB(6), CaB(6)), carbides (TiC, SiC), nitrides (TiN, Si(3)N(4), BN, AlN), hybrid additives and their effect on the densification, grain refinement and mechanical behavior of the LPBF-produced composites.