DESCRIPTION
High strength aluminum alloys employed in transportation, space and aerospace, are potential candidates for solid state 3D fabrication of key components i.e. stiffener and development of stringers over the skin elements. Importantly, age hardened Al-alloys such as 7xxx series alloys are being tried for manufacturing of such components and their softening during additive manufacturing (AM) is a major challenge. If the alloy is reheated post-peak-strength at higher temperature, drop in strength (softening due to over-aging) occurs in a shorter time, and vice-versa. A dedicated chapter on typical behavior of age hardened 7xxx alloys under various solid-state AM condition is very useful and may prove to be a great enabler to the AM of age hardened 7xxx alloys. This chapter presents a comprehensive treatise on the effect of entire gamut AM temperatures on the strengthening condition of the alloys. It deals with response of high strength aluminium alloy of aerospace application during AM. A thermal kinetics dependent response of these alloys during conditions that may be encountered during AM is presented.
