Esther Akinlabi

By Olawale Samuel Fatoba, Mamookho Elizabeth Makhatha and Esther Titilayo Akinlabi

The deterioration of materials during industrial application poses a serious threat to the materials structural integrity. A material’s susceptibility to wear and surface damage can be reduced by alteration of its surface chemistry, morphology and crystal structure. Therefore, modification of surface properties plays an important role in optimizing a material’s performance for a given application. Modern industrial applications require materials with special surface properties such as high hardness, wear and corrosion resistance, therefore materials engineers are vital to regularly examine how the microstructure of a material can be altered. Aluminium-based alloys have a wide application in the automotive, domestic and aerospace industries due to their excellent mechanical properties such as good weldability, sound castability and outstanding resistance to corrosion. The purpose of this research is to enhance inherent properties of the materials to create new products or improve on existing ones. The most effective engineering solution to prevent or minimize such surface region of a component is done by fibre lasers. It was concluded that Hypereutectic Al-Si alloys having transition metals are exceptional materials due to their specific properties. The addition of Cu, Fe, Cr, Si, Mg and Ni to Al-based alloys can improve the mechanical properties at both ambient and elevated temperatures.

Part of the book: Aluminium Alloys

By Olawale Samuel Fatoba, Esther Titilayo Akinlabi and Mamookho Elizabeth Makhatha

Modern industrial applications require materials with special surface properties such as high hardness, wear and corrosion resistance. The performance of material surface under wear and corrosion environments cannot be fulfilled by the conventional surface modifications and coatings. Therefore, different industrial sectors need an alternative technique for enhanced surface properties. The purpose of this is to change or enhance inherent properties of the materials to create new products or improve on existing ones. The most effective and economical engineering solution to prevent or minimize such surface region of a component is done by fiber lasers. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a breaking edge fabrication technique with the possibility of changing the perception of design and manufacturing as a whole. It is well suitable for the building and repairing applications in the aerospace industry which usually requires high level of accuracy and customization of parts which usually employ materials known to pose difficulties in fabrication such as titanium alloys. The current development focus of AM is to produce complex shaped functional metallic components, including metals, alloys and metal matrix composites (MMCs), to meet demanding requirements from aerospace, defense, and automotive industries.

Part of the book: Aluminium Alloys