Effect of Si content on the cracking behavior of selective laser melted Al7050

Purpose It is a crucial issue to eliminate cracks for selective laser melting (SLM) 7xxx series aluminum alloy. This paper aims to study the effect of silicon content on the cracking behavior and the mechanism of eliminating crack of SLMed Al7050 alloy. Design/methodology/approach Six different silicon contents were added to the Al7050 powder. The crack density and crack count measuring from optical micrographs were utilized to judge the cracking susceptibility. The low melting phases analyzing from Jmatpro and the microstructure observing by EPMA and SEM were used to discuss the mechanism of eliminating the crack. Findings The cracking susceptibility of SLMed Al7050 alloy decreases with the increase of adding silicon content. When adding silicon, two new low-melting phases appeared: Mg2Si and Al5Cu2Mg8Si6. These low-melting phases offer much liquid feeding along the grain boundary and decrease the cracking susceptibility. Moreover, the grains are obviously refined after adding silicon. The fine grain can increase the total surface area of the grain boundary, which can reinforce the matrix and decrease the cracking susceptibility. High silicon content results in more low-melting phases and fine grains, which decreases the cracking susceptibility. Originality/value The investigation results can help to obtain crack-free SLMed Al7050 parts and deep knowledge on eliminating cracking mechanism of high-strength aluminum alloy fabricated by SLM.