Enhancing corrosion resistance of selective laser melting Al/SiC composites via substrate preheating

The microstructure and corrosion resistance of Al/SiC composites fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) with substrate preheating are studied for the first time in this study. The results show that the defects such as cracks and voids is decreased, which is beneficial for reducing the localized corrosion. In addition, the preheating treatment leads to the increase of dislocation density and the decrease of high-angle grain boundaries, which is beneficial to improve the corrosion resistance. Therefore, it is concluded that substrate preheating is conducive to enhancing corrosion resistance of SLM Al/SiC composites.