Electron beam processing of Al–2Sc alloy for enhanced precipitation hardening

Scandium is a light but highly potent hardening element for aluminium. However, the amount of Sc that can be precipitated for hardening is rather limited because of its limited solubility. Electron beam direct manufacturing (EBDM) is a novel metal fabrication technique. We show that electron beam processing substantially increases the solubility of Sc in α(Al) and the attendant hardening effect is about twice that attained from solid solution and ageing. These findings provide a basis for new alloy design for EBDM.