An Analytical Model for Prediction of Solidification Cracking Susceptibility in Aluminum Alloys Taking into Account the Effect of Solidification Rate

Abstract

Solidification cracking in pulsed laser welding of aluminum alloys has been the subject of a number of researches. The purpose of this study is to analyze the possible effects of high solidification rates involved in pulsed laser welding on the solidification path of aluminum alloys and solidification cracking sensitivity. For the analysis, conditions at the interface are not necessarily considered to be at equilibrium. Accordingly, the solidification path is modified taking into account the effects of solidification rate on the solidus, liquidus, and eutectic temperatures, the liquidus slope, and the interface parameters, including the partition coefficient, the cell/dendrite tip radius, and the liquid composition in the cellular dendrite tip. In line with the previous researches, cracking susceptibility is assumed to be proportional to the range of temperature squared for solidification crack formation ( $$ \Delta T^{2} $$ ). The results of calculations for hypo-eutectic Al-Cu alloys show that cracking susceptibility increases and shifts to a higher copper composition with the increasing solidification rate. The given calculations are evaluated against the reported experimental results.