Microstructure and mechanical properties of ZM5 magnesium alloy fabricated by interlaminar hammering composite arc-directed energy deposition

Arc-directed energy deposition (ADED) has been employed to fabricate large and complex magnesium alloy components, meeting the evolving demands of the aerospace industry. In this study, the interlaminar hammering composite arc-directed energy deposition (IH-ADED) process, based on the ADED technique, was utilized to prepare ZM5 magnesium alloy. The resulting microstructure comprised equiaxed grains with an average grain size of 15.0 μm. The β-Mg17Al12 second phase dissolved during solution treatment and re-precipitated as blocky particles, contributing to precipitation strengthening. Mechanical testing showed that the samples exhibited the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 283.1 MPa, the yield strength (YS) of 126.0 MPa, and the elongation (EL) of 17.1% in the horizontal direction. In the vertical direction, the UTS reached 283.0 MPa, the YS of 144.1 MPa, and the EL of 12.1%.