Aluminum P/M Products / 497

Aluminum P/M Products

ALUMINUM POWDER METALLURGY (PIM)
products constitute a very small part of the overall aluminum industry. In fact, the majority of the
aluminum powder produced is not used for structural components. Instead, aluminum powders
are used in unconsolidated form for use in
paintslpigments for roof and automotive coatings; in powder metal-filled plastics; for fuel
propellants, pyrotechnics (fireworks), and commercial explosives; metal powder cutting operations (iron-aluminum powders); and thermit
welding (aluminothermic compounds). Nevertheless, interest in aluminum PIM alloys for structural applications continues because P/M processing provides much finer and homogeneous
microstructures, better mechanical properties,
and near-net shape parts producibility for aluminum alloys in comparison with ingot metallurgy
(YM). In addition to the conventional blending
and consolidation of elemental or prealloyed
powders into near-net shape parts (pressed-andsintered PIM parts), emerging processes such as
mechanical alloying (MA) and rapid solidification (RS) create powders that upon subsequent
consolidation provide significant improvements
in room- and elevated-temperature strength, fracture toughness, fatigue life, and resistance to corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking (SCC). Another advantage of advanced PIM processing
methods, including the spray depositionlforming
process, is in the production of new alloys (and

Table 1 Compositionsof aluminum P/M

alloy powders for pressed-and-sinteredparts
~

~~

Grade

cu

Me c m @
si~ q R p f i

601AB
201AB

0.25

0.6
0.8
0.4
0.3
0.9
0.6

602AB

...

1.0
0.5
0.6

m
A
B
MD-22
MD24
MD-69
MD-76

4.0
2.0
4.4
0.25
1.6

1.0
0.5
1.0
2.5

4.4

...

bal

bal
bal
bal
bal
bal
bal
bal

...

...

~~

Lublieant

1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5
1.5

Pure metal and alloying ingredients are mechanically alloyed using high-energy ball
mills. During this process, a heavy working of
powder particles results in the intimate alloying by a process of repeated welding, fracturing, and rewelding. In the case of aluminum
alloys, carbon derived form process control
agents is incorporated into the processed powder and reacts with aluminum to form very
fine carbides. These carbides and the fine oxide particles derived from the breakup of surface films on the initial powder particles create a dispersion that stabilizes the fine-grained
microstructure. Therefore, a portion or all of
the strengthening may be obtained from the
ultrafine grain size stabilized by the oxide and
carbide dispersions.
Degassing. Powder is encapsulated in a can
and degassed to prevent hydrogen porosity
Consolidarion. Powder is vacuum hot pressed
or hot isostatically pressed into billets, which
are subsequently rolled, extruded, or forged

composites) with metallurgical structures and

compositions that cannot be produced by IIM.
Rapid solidification processing extends the solubility of alloying elements, particularly transition
and rare earth elements, and refines the structure
of intermetallic phases responsible for improved
mechanical properties. Mechanical alloying is a
dry, high-energy milling process that produces
dispersions of insoluble oxides and carbides that
stabilize the microstructure leading to high
strength at elevated temperature in the consolidated materials.
Despite the advantages of PIM processing for
aluminum alloys, their large-scale commercialization has not been realized. Notwithstanding the
high cost that remains a major concern for their
use, there are other technological challenges such
as reproducibilityIreliability,machining, joining,
and recycling that need to be addressed.

Pressed-and-Sintered P/M Parts

Pressed and sintered alloys consist of aluminum powder admixed with small amounts of copper, magnesium, and silicon (Table 1). Compacts
are pressed at 140 to 345 MPa (10 to 25 tsi) and
sintered at 595 to 620 "C (1100 to 1150 OF) in
nitrogen to 9 0 to 95% of theoretical density (sintering in dissociated ammonia or vacuum leads to
slightly inferior properties). The as-sintered
products have relatively low strengths, and they
require heat treatment andlor deformation processing (rolling, extrusion, or forging) for improved properties (Table 2). Applications for sintered aluminum parts include business machines
(the largest market), appliances, automotive components, and power tools.

Classes of High-Performance Alloys

High Room-Temperature Strength SCC/
Corrosion-Resistant Alloys. Rapid solidification processing is used to produce Al-Zn-Mg-Cu
alloys 7091 and 7090, which are similar in composition to IIM alloy 7175, but contain 0.4 and
1.5% Co, respectively (Table 3). Cobalt forms
Co2AI9 or (Co,Fe)2Al, particles which are homogeneously dispersed. These dispersoids refine the
grain size for improved high strength and ductility, and enhance resistance to SCC (Table 4).
Mechanically alloyed alloys Al-9052 and Al905XL (Table 3) also exhibit improved ambient
temperature properties and improved corrosion
and SCC resistance. Alloy A1-9052 is dispersion
strengthened by magnesium oxides, aluminum
oxides, and aluminum carbide; solid-solution
strengthened by magnesium; and strengthened by
its fine grainhubgrain structure. Alloy A1-905XL
is strengthened by similar features, although it
does display a slight artificial aging response
from lithium-containing precipitates. Table 5
lists properties of AL-905XL forgings, and Fig. 1
compares the SCC resistance of RS, MA, and I/M
aluminum alloys.
Elevated-Temperature Alloys. Conventional
high-strength IIM aluminum alloys contain precipitate particles that interact with moving dislocations, thus providing high strength at room
temperature. However, when these alloys are exposed to elevated temperatures, the precipitate
particles undergo dissolution and/or coarsening,
thereby reducing the strength of the base alloy.

High-Performance P/M Alloys

Processing
The steps in processing of high-performance
aluminum P/M alloys can be combined in various
ways, but they are most conveniently described
as:
\

Table 2 Mechanical properties of

nitrogen-sinteredaluminumalloys

U)lAB-T6
(95%dense)
201AB-T6
(97%dense,rolled)
202AB-T6
(92.4%dense)
202AB-T8
(92.4%dense. cold
formed 19%strain)
601AB-T6
(96% dense)
601AB-T6
(%% dense, rolled)
602AB-T6

(%%dense)

Powder production. Powder can be made by

various RS methods including atomization,
splat quenching to form particulates, and melt
spinning to form ribbon.
Powder processing (optional), which includes
mechanical alloying or comminution of meltspun ribbon into powder for subsequent handling. Mechanical alloying is used for fabricating oxide-dispersion strengthened alloys.

336

48.7

322

46.7

332

48.2

327

47.4

227

32.9

147

21.3

7.3

280

40.6

250

36.3

238

34.5

230

33.4

Auoy

zn

Mg

cu

252

36.5

241

35.0

7090

27.0

172

24.9

2.0-3.0
2.0-3.0
4.0
4.0

0.6-1.3
1.1-1.8

186

7091
Al-9052
A1-905XL

7.3-8.7
6.8-7.1

Table 3 Nominal compositionsof high-strengthcorrosion-resistant P/M aluminum alloys

...
...

...
.,.

&rnkh*%
co
Li
1.0-1.9

0.204.60

...

...

...

...

O.oo-o.50
0.204.50

...

0.5

1.1

1.3

0.4

1.1

...

...

Al

bal
bal
bal
bal

498 / Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys

Table 4 Typical room-temperature properties of I/M and P/M high-strengthaluminum alloys

Ultimate

tensile

yiem

r*lpnpsh

strpneth(b)

SCC

Mdiston

&awe

Albr

MPn

ki

Ingot metallurgy
7075-T76
172
7075-T73
290
Powder metallurgy
7090-WE71
310
7091-l7E69
310

MPa

rating@)

MPa

ksi

Ehgstim,

ki

h5Omm

Frsctwtoumc)

@in),%

Mpe@

ki@

25
42

P,EA
P,EA

524
503

76
73

462
434

67
63

12
12

29
32

26

45
45

N,EA
N.EA

621
593

90

579
545

a4

9
11

26
46

24

86

79

29

42

(a) ASTM exfoliation ratings: N, no appreciable attack; P, pitting-eitherdiscrete or blistering; EA, visible lifting of surface; EB,
thicker surface attack; EC, more severe surface attack; ED, most severe surface attack. (b) Longitudinal orientation. (c) Longitudinal-transverseorientation per ASTM E 399

stress intensity factor ( K , ~ ~k~i )6, .

0.25

12

20

16

24

1201

-5.E

P 60C

0.025

Exposure temperature, 'F

400 500 600 700

100 200 300

I

,I

"0

loo

200
300
Exposure temperature, 'C

400

Fig, 2 Percent of room-temperature strength retained af2.5 x lo-'

10

15

20

25

10-5
30

P/M alloys Al-9052, 7090, and 7091, as well as

conventional alloy 7075. All alloys were in their higheststrength conditions.

This behavior precludes the use of these alloys

for elevated-temperature applications. The RSP/M alloys, based on hypereutectic AI-Fe-X compositions (Table 6 ) . derive their high strengths
from dispersion strengthening; the dispersoids
resist dissolution and coarsening when the alloys
are exposed to elevated temperatures. These alloys contain ternary and quaternary additions of
transition and rare earth metals such as molybdenum, nickel, cerium, vanadium, and silicon.
These alloy additions exhibit low solid solubility
and low solid-state diffusivity in a aluminum,
and consequently, they tend to form thermally
stable dispersoid particles. Conventional Ih4
processing of these compositions produces equilibrium or near-equilibrium microstructures containing coarse A1,Fe-type primary intermetallic
particles in a coarse a-aluminum matrix. Such
microstructures exhibit poor ductility and cannot
be used for structural applications. In contrast,
RS-Ph4 processing of these chemistries suppresses the formation of AI3Fe-type primary intermetallic particles. It instead produces particulates
exhibiting refined metastable microstructures,
such as Al-AI6Fe-type microeutectic and/or a solute-supersaturated dendritic aluminum. In other
words, RS-P/M processing conditions produce

h*diIRll

Ultimate tensilestrength
MPa
ksi
Yield strength (0.2%OW)
MPa
ksi
Elongation, 8
Fracturetoughness, K I ~
MPa 6
h i .lin
Modulus ofelasticity
GPa
106psi

ter elevated-temperatureexposure of Al-FeCe al-

'RanmnrJe

517
75

483
70

448
65

414
60
6

30
27

30

27
80

11.6

...
...

Table 6 Chemical compositionsof

dispersion-strengthenedaluminum-base
alloys produced by RS-P/M
A1-8Fe1.7Ni
A1-8.4Fe3.7Ce
Al-9Fe-4Ce(AA8019alIoy)
Al-9Fe-7Ce
Al-1OFe5Ce
A1-8.5Fe-1.3V-1.7Si(AA8009alloy)
A1-11.7Fe-1.2V-2.4Si(FVS
1212alloy)
A1-8Fe2.3Mo
A1-8.7Fe-2.8Mw1V

Maalkmu
AlCOa
AlCOa
AlCOa

AlCOa
AlCOil

AUidSignal Inc.
Allidsignal Inc.

Ran & Whimey

PrattSrWhimey

loys

Stress intensity factor ( 4 s ~ M

~ P) a. 6

Fig. 1 Crack velocity versus stress intensity factor for

DistoU

Materialpmperty

Nominal chemical wmpcdth, w i %

$ 0.0025

Table 5 Typical mechanical properties of

AI-905x1 P/M forgings

refined hypoeutectic-type microstructures from

hypereutectic melts. During subsequent thermomechanical processing, the as-solidified hypoeutectic-type microstructures undergo solidstate phase transformations and produce fine (<1
pm) dispersoid particles in an a-aluminum matrix. As shown in Fig. 2, RS-P/M AI-Fe-X alloys
retain 100% of their strength at temperatures as
high as 315 "C (600 OF); conventional I/M alloys
retain only about 50% of their strength at this
temperature and are generally not used at temperatures exceeding 150 "C (300 OF).
l o w density/high-stiffness alloys include alloying elements that increase the elastic modulus
or decrease density. Lithium and beryllium are
the only elements that generally increase both
properties in aluminum, and RS-P/M, MA, and
spray forming have been used to produce AI-Li
and Al-Be-Li alloys, Spray forming is a highdeposition-rate metal spraying process for the
production of near-net-shape parts at a relatively
low cost. In this method, molten metal is rapidly
atomized to form a fine spray of droplets that are
deposited onto a stationary or moving collector.
The resulting preform is typically free from
macrosegregation and prior particle boundaries
that are occasionally present in I/M products.
The spray forming process is useful in extending
the maximum solute content of alloying elements
and achieving a finer distribution of secondphase particles in an equiaxed grain structure.
Such homogeneous, low-segregation, fine-scale
alloy microstructures are useful for subsequent

rolling, forging, extrusion, and superplastic

forming operations. Alloys produced by spray
forming can have higher levels of Lithium than is
possible with I/M alloys (2.5% Li is the practical
limit for I/M alloys). Examples of spray-formed
Al-Li alloys include AI-3.0Li-1 .OCu-O.rlMg0.3Zr and AI-4Li-0.2Zr. both of which have
higher levels of lithium and zirconium than does
the commonly used I/M AI-Li alloy 8090 (Al2.5Li-l.OCu-O.7Mg-O.12Zr).
The P/M AI-Li alloys exhibit a 4.4% increase in specific modulus
over 8090.
Neither the AI-Li or Al-Be-Li P/M alloys have
achieved commercial success, largely because of
the success of I/M AI-Li alloys and the development of metal-matrix composites, such as AI-SIC
and AI-TiB, systems. Examples of aluminummatrix composites produced by P/M processing
are described in the Section "Special-Purpose
Materials" in this Handbook.
SELECTED REFERENCES

RB. Bhagat, Aluminum P/M Alloys and Composites,

Powder Metallurgy, Vol 7, ASM Handbook, ASM Inter-

national, 1998
Y.W. Kim and W.M. Griffith, Ed., Dispersion Strengthened Aluminum Alloys, TMS-AIME, 1988
E.W. Lee and N.J. Kim, Ed.. Light Weight Alloys f o r
Aerospace Applications, TMS-AIME, 1991
Metal Powder Technologies and Applications, Vol 7,
ASM Handbook, ASM International, 1998
J.R. Pickens, High-Strength Aluminum P/M Alloys,
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and SpecialPurpose Materials, Vol 2, ASM Handbook, 1990, p 200-

215