Inhomogeneous deformation in melt-pool structure of Al-Fe-Cu alloy manufactured by laser powder bed fusion

The laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processed Al–2.5Fe–2Cu (mass%) alloy exhibited a high tensile strength above 340 MPa and pronounced directional dependence. The sample exhibited a characteristic inhomogeneous microstructure (in melt-pool structure) arising from the local melting and rapid solidification in the L-PBF process. The coarsened cellular structure localized along the melt pool boundary resulted in the local soft regions affected by the melt pool structure. The local vulnerability contributed to the direction dependence of the tensile ductility of the specimen.