Comparing the Properties of Metastable Quasicrystal-Forming Al₉₅Fe₂Cr₂Ti₁ Alloy Prepared by Uniaxial Hot Compaction and Powder Bed Fusion-Laser Beam

This work comparatively investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of a quasicrystal-forming Al₉₅Fe₂Cr₂Ti₁ alloy manufactured by uniaxial hot compaction (UHC) and powder bed fusion-laser beam (PBF-LB). Considering the densification of the UHC and PBF-LB samples within the investigated range of parameters, the best parameter combination was used to produce the final samples. The microstructure and phase formation of the samples were investigated by OM, SEM and XRD, the thermal stability was investigated by DSC, and the mechanical behavior was investigated by microhardness and compression tests. The fine grains and ultra-fine dispersed QC and/or approximant phases in the PBF-LB sample significantly enhance its mechanical properties. The microstructure of UHC with heterogeneous, coarse and irregular phases results in premature failure of samples. The fracture stress and strain obtained were 577 MPa and 30% for the UHC samples and 792 MPa and 40% for the PBF-LB samples. The Vickers microhardness of PBF-LB samples (269 ± 21) was notably higher than the highest (150 ± 3) obtained by UHC samples. The comparison indicates the superior performance of the PBF-LB samples instead of the UHC.