Cracking mechanism and its susceptibility to scanning speed during laser power bed fusion processed high-strength 2024Al alloy

Laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) is a promising technique for fabricating high-performance complex aluminum (Al) alloy components. However, conventional high-strength wrought Al alloys that are processed using L-PBF have limited application owing to their poor cracking resistance. To investigate the cracking mechanism, L-PBF was used to fabricate a 2024Al alloy. The resultant microstructure exhibited severe hot cracking, which occurred at grain boundaries with a high angle in both solidification and liquation cracks. Increasing the scanning speed increased the susceptibility to cracking. The effect of scanning speed on the eutectics content of Al₂Cu and Al₂CuMg and the residual stress in as-fabricated samples are discussed. Crack elimination at a low scanning speed could be ascribed to the lower thermal stresses and adequate liquid feeding during the late stage of solidification. In addition, based on the RDG (Rappaz-Drezet-Gremaud) model, a cracking susceptibility map was produced, in which the cracking susceptibility was determined to increase with an increase in the solidification rate, in agreement with experimental observation.