Characterisation of a novel Sc and Zr modified Al–Mg alloy fabricated by selective laser melting

Abstract Correlations between densification, hardness and electrical conductivity were investigated over a wide range of applied volumetric energy densities (E) for an Al–Mg–Sc–Zr alloy fabricated by selective laser melting. It is shown that porosity dominates electrical conductivity in the low E region up to 77 J/mm 3 , while the contribution of solute in solution is more significant in the medium–high E region. Reasons for these differences are discussed and a linear relationship between electrical conductivity and densification in the absence of solute effects is presented.