The unique alloys created at ILM&T (member of the Aluminium Association) were featured in the presentation made by the head of additive technologies department of ILM&T Vladimir Korolev. The presentation was made at the online conference on 3D-solution applications in metal casting, metallurgy and machine building. The conference was held as part of the international industrial exhibition Metal-Expo 2020.
Speaking at the forum, Vladimir Korolev noted that activities at the Institute of Light Materials and Technologies involve creating new powder materials and high value-added products. The employees of the institute design new generation products that have unique characteristics for additive production. ILM&T, which includes departments of additive technologies, foundry alloys, wrought alloys and chemical technologies, is one of few Russian scientific centres that develop new materials for additive technologies using closed cycle methodology. The institute has its own atomizer for producing metal powders, and an additive technology area as well as R&D centre equipped with modern analytical equipment.
The institute addressed the alloys that are already in use, primarily focusing on AlSi10Mg. This alloy has good casting properties and provides good output when used in printing applications, and after annealing it demonstrates good level of strength and ductility. Today, AlSi10Mg is widely used by additive technologies. ILM&T developed a solution that provides a substantial increase in printing speed without losing any mechanical properties.
'Having mastered the traditional alloys, our next goal is to develop a range of multipurpose alloys that would satisfy the customers' requirements. There are 9 alloys grades currently in development, out of which 6 are already available for wide use,' said Vladimir Korolev.
RS-320 is a new Al-Si alloy that has improved mechanical properties as compared to the traditional AlSi10Mg, and also possesses high corrosion resistance. Additionally, the analysis of the fatigue parameters demonstrates the advantages of alloy over AlSi10Mg and the traditional alloys of 3xxx series. Good fatigue properties minimize the number of defects thanks to ultra-dispersive structure of the material.
RS-553 is another alloy that has unique properties achieved by means of annealing without tempering. The alloy has high strength and very high resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Complex alloying of Sc and transition metals allowed the Russian scientists to achieve the optimal level of characteristics while keeping the price at competitive level (on average, 3 times cheaper than comparable imported alloys). RS-553 remains functional at temperatures up to 150°C, which opens broad possibilities for using it in aviation and automotive sectors. This alloy can replace traditional wrought alloys, presenting an alternative to high strength 2xxx alloys.
Both alloys, RS-320 and RS-553, have successfully proven their characteristics in a laboratory accredited by the Russian Federal Air Transport Agency.
The participants of the conference also learned about prospective lines of scientific inquiry at ILM&T – the development of heat-resistant aluminium alloys. In particular, they learned about the new alloy RS-390. This is a high-performance alloy that can be used in products that operate at temperatures up to 250°C – in automotive and aerospace industries. RS-970, whose working temperature reaches 350°C is currently undergoing rigorous testing.
ILM&T also provides engineering services. In particular, topological optimization allows to reduce a part's weight by 40% without sacrificing any performance characteristics, and computer simulation reduces the number of iterations of the printing process.
As to economic efficiency, according to Vladimir Korolev, the results are quite impressive. The material consumption during 3D-printing is 5 times lower as compared to traditional technologies (material consumption reduced from 9 to 1.8 kg), while the production cycle that includes thermal treatment and mechanical processing is reduced from 3 months to four days (to 90 hours).
Background information about ILM&T
The Institute of Light Metals and Technologies was created in 2017 with support from the Aluminium Association, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia.
The institute develops new generation aluminium products that have unique characteristics for use in various sectors of industry. For example, in shipbuilding, innovative products used in space programmes, and also in products used for transporting aggressive cargo. Another important workstream at the institute is to replace the secondary aluminium, which in some scenarios can reduce the end cost of the product and optimize technology processes.
ILM&T testing centre conducts full range of tests on materials and products produced from them, including metallographic analysis, chemical analysis as well as testing of mechanical, physical and corrosion resistance properties. The institute has its own casting, thermal treatment and mechanical processing facilities.