Compressive creep of AlSi10Mg parts produced by selective laser melting additive manufacturing technology

Compressive creep properties of AlSi10Mg parts produced by additive manufacturing selective laser melting (AM-SLM) were studied using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) apparatus, capable of performing uniaxial compressive creep tests. Stress relief-treated specimens were tested under an applied stress of 100–130 MPa in the 175–225 °C temperature range. Utilizing two different configurations, the creep tests were conducted either with or without a low-density electric current (∼2.63–3.26 A/mm²) flowing through the test specimens. The results revealed that the creep rate increased under the influence of an applied electric current. The creep parameters (i.e., stress exponent n and apparent activation energy Q), were empirically determined. The stress exponent values were found to be 19.6 ± 1.2 and 16.2 ± 1.4 with and without current, respectively, while apparent activation energy was found to be 142 ± 9 kJ/mol and 150 ± 13 kJ/mol with and without current, respectively. The experimental results, together with microstructural examination of specimens, indicate that plastic deformation was controlled by dislocation activity. Furthermore, it is suggested that the annihilation process of dislocations during creep was enhanced by the electric current.