Showing papers on "Inconel published in 2017"

Microstructure and hardness studies of Inconel 718 manufactured by selective laser melting before and after solution heat treatment

Abstract: The microstructure of Additive Manufactured (AM) Inconel 718 in general and Selective Laser Melting (SLM), in particular is different from the material produced by conventional methods due to the rapid solidification process associated with the former. As a result, the widely adapted standard solution heat treatment temperature (

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 718 produced by selective laser melting: Sample orientation dependence and effects of post heat treatments

Abstract: Inconel 718 produced by selective laser melting (SLM) has been characterized with focus on the microstructure, the dependence of sample orientation on the mechanical properties and the effects of post heat treatments. The as-manufactured IN718 has a very fine cellular-dendritic structure with fine Laves phases precipitating in the interdendritic region, and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis shows that both the vertically and horizontally built samples have relatively weak texture. The vertically built samples show lower tensile strength but higher ductility than the horizontally built samples, and the mechanism is shown to be partly due to the crystallographic feature but more importantly due to the different amount of residual stress and dislocations accumulated in these two kinds of samples. Applying heat treatments can significantly increase the strength while decrease the ductility correspondingly, and difference in yield strength between the vertically and horizontally built samples decreases with increasing the heat treatment temperatures, mainly due to the removal of residual stress and dislocations.

Anisotropic tensile behavior of in situ precipitation strengthened Inconel 718 fabricated by additive manufacturing

Abstract: This study investigated the microstructure and anisotropic mechanical properties of selective laser melting (SLM) processed Inconel 718 (IN718) component. In as-fabricated alloys, ultrafine columnar grained microstructure with highly dispersed precipitates γ" phases at grains boundary and even-distributed γ' phases inside the grains were observed. It was demonstrated that the as-fabricated longitudinal samples showed lower ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 1101 MPa but higher elongation of 24.5% compared to the transverse samples which showed UTS of 1167 MPa and elongation of 21.5%. The excellent mechanical properties of both the longitudinal and transverse samples can be ascribed to the refined microstructure of the SLM material resulting from the high cooling rate imposed by laser processing. The anisotropy in strength and ductility was attributed to the {100} fiber texture and columnar grain morphology. The {100} fiber texture of columnar grains leads to high strength in transverse direction, while the columnar grain boundaries also served as a path along which damage can preferentially accumulate, leading to fracture.

Effect of heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 alloy processed by laser powder bed fusion

Abstract: The effect of different heat treatments and hot isostatic pressing on the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser powder bed fusion IN625 alloy was studied. The heat treatments were: stress relief annealing, recrystallization annealing and low-temperature solution treatment. The resulting microstructure and crystallographic textures were studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties of the as-built and post-treated IN625 alloy were obtained after tensile testing at room temperature and at 760 °C (1400 °F), and compared to those of an annealed wrought alloy of the same composition.

Porosity evolution and its thermodynamic mechanism of randomly packed powder-bed during selective laser melting of Inconel 718 alloy

Abstract: To further investigate the porosity evolution during selective laser melting (SLM) Inconel 718 alloy, a transient mesoscale model with a randomly packed powder-bed has been proposed by finite volume method (FVM), taking consideration of the phase transition, variation of thermo-physical properties and interfacial force. The thermodynamics within molten pool and resulting porosity evolution behavior of a set of laser scanned tracks with various laser scanning speeds were studied using numerical approach. The results evidently revealed that the operating peak temperature was reduced obviously as increasing the scanning speeds. Accordingly, the high cooling rate, short lifespan and limiting depth of pool and small velocity of molten liquid flow were obtained under a high scanning speed. Scanning speed played a crucial role in determining the type of porosity in the terminally SLM-processed Inconel 718 components. At a high scanning speed of 500 mm/s, the top surface was primarily dominated by open porosity, accompanying with large-sized inter-layer porosity on the cross section, due to a limiting energy input penetrated into the powder-bed and incomplete melting of powder. By contrast, as a relatively low scanning speed of 200 mm/s was employed, the top surface appeared to be smooth free of less metallurgical porosity and no apparent inter-layer porosity on the cross section surface attributing to the escaping of porosity, indicating an well metallurgical bonding of the neighboring layer towards the building direction. Simultaneously, the physical mechanism was thoroughly discussed. The simulated distribution of porosity was found to be consistent with the experimental measurements.

Review on powder-bed laser additive manufacturing of Inconel 718 parts

Abstract: This study presents a thorough literature review on the powder-bed laser additive manufacturing processes such as selective laser melting of Inconel 718 parts. This article first introduces the gen...

The influence of Laves phases on the high-cycle fatigue behavior of laser additive manufactured Inconel 718

Abstract: In this paper, a comparative study of high-cycle fatigue tests (T=650 °C, f=110 Hz, R=0.1, Kt=1) were carried out with wrought Inconel 718 and LAMed Inconel 718. The results show that the influences of the Laves phases on high-cycle fatigue properties are based on the applied stress amplitudes. At a low stress amplitude, most of the Laves phases held their original morphologies. The fatigue cracks stopped in front or detoured around them, which means that the unbroken Laves phases play an important role in hindering crack propagation. In this way, the high-cycle fatigue life of LAMed Inconel 718 was superior to that of wrought Inconel 718. However, at a high stress amplitude almost all of the Laves phases in the crack propagation region splintered into smaller fragments, parts of which separated from the austenite matrix. Microscopic holes or cracks were formed at the interface, which provided passages for the fatigue cracks to propagate. In this case, the Laves phases were harmful, leading to the degradation of fatigue performance in LAMed Inconel 718 compared with wrought Inconel 718.

δ Phase precipitation in Inconel 718 and associated mechanical properties

Abstract: Microstructures generated by δ phase precipitation in Inconel 718 (IN718) and related mechanical properties were investigated in this paper. Several heat treatments enabling the precipitation of the δ phase in various proportions and morphologies were conducted. Heat treatments were performed in a temperature range between 875 °C and 975 °C with time durations from 0.5 to 24 h. For each test, the microstructures were characterized and the volume fraction of the δ precipitates quantified. In parallel, uniaxial tensile tests were conducted in order to determine the mechanical properties of the alloy, namely the elongation at necking (N%), the yield strength (YS), the Vickers hardness (HV) and strain hardening coefficients (K, n). The results revealed that when γ″ and δ precipitates coexist, the material remains hardened regardless of the amount of δ phase. However, when only δ phase were presented in the matrix, its volume fraction did not significantly affect the formability of the material. It was observed that the ratio between intragranular and intergranular precipitates could be a critical parameter. Intergranular precipitates, when in sufficient amount, led to a better formability of the material. On the contrary, when the intragranular precipitates were maximized, they tend to harden the material. A solution treatment at 975 °C for 2 h was finally suggested as the best compromise to improve the formability of IN718.

Powder bed binder jet 3D printing of Inconel 718: Densification, microstructural evolution and challenges☆

Abstract: Traditional manufacturing of Inconel 718 components from castings and thermomechanical processing routes involve extensive post processing and machining to attain the desired geometry. Additive manufacturing (AM) technologies including direct energy deposition (DED), selective laser melting (SLM), electron beam melting (EBM) and binder jet 3D printing (BJ3DP) can minimize scrap generation and reduce lead times. While there is extensive literature on the use of melting and solidification based AM technologies, there has been limited research on the use of binder jet 3D printing. In this paper, a brief review on binder jet additive manufacturing of Inconel 718 is presented. In addition, existing knowledge on sintering of Inconel 718 has been extended to binder jet 3D printing. We found that supersolidus liquid phase sintering (SLPS) is necessary to achieve full densification of Inconel 718. SLPS is sensitive to the feedstock chemistry that has a strong influence on the liquid volume fraction at the processing temperature. Based on these results, we discuss an empirical framework to determine the role of powder particle size and liquid volume fraction on sintering kinetics. The role of powder packing factor and binder saturation on microstructural evolution is discussed. The current challenges in the use of BJ3DP for fabrication of Inconel 718, as well as, extension to other metal systems, are presented.

Microstructure and anisotropic mechanical properties of EBM manufactured Inconel 718 and effects of post heat treatments

Abstract: Materials manufactured with electron beam melting (EBM) have different microstructures and properties to those manufactured using conventional manufacturing methods. A detailed study of the microst ...

Effect of different heat treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties in selective laser melted INCONEL 718 alloy

Abstract: The microstructure and tensile properties of selective laser melted (SLM) Inconel 718 alloy were studied in the as-printed and different heat treat conditions. The SLM as-print microstructures exhi...

Dimensionless numbers in additive manufacturing

Abstract: The effects of many process variables and alloy properties on the structure and properties of additively manufactured parts are examined using four dimensionless numbers. The structure and properties of components made from 316 Stainless steel, Ti-6Al-4V, and Inconel 718 powders for various dimensionless heat inputs, Peclet numbers, Marangoni numbers, and Fourier numbers are studied. Temperature fields, cooling rates, solidification parameters, lack of fusion defects, and thermal strains are examined using a well-tested three-dimensional transient heat transfer and fluid flow model. The results show that lack of fusion defects in the fabricated parts can be minimized by strengthening interlayer bonding using high values of dimensionless heat input. The formation of harmful intermetallics such as laves phases in Inconel 718 can be suppressed using low heat input that results in a small molten pool, a steep temperature gradient, and a fast cooling rate. Improved interlayer bonding can be achieved at high Ma...

Mechanical behavior of post-processed Inconel 718 manufactured through the electron beam melting process

Abstract: The electron beam melting (EBM) process was used to fabricate Inconel 718. The microstructure and tensile properties were characterized in both the as-fabricated and post-processed state transverse (T-orientation) and longitudinal (L-orientation) to the build direction. Post-processing involved both a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and solution treatment and aging (STA) to homogenize the microstructure. In the as-fabricated state, EBM Inconel 718 exhibits a spatially dependent microstructure that is a function of build height. Spanning the last few layers is a cored dendritic structure comprised of the products (carbides and Laves phase) predicted under equilibrium solidification conditions. With increasing distance from the build's top surface, the cored dendritic structure becomes increasingly homogeneous with complete dissolution of the secondary dendrite arms. Further, temporal phase kinetics are observed to lead to the dissolution of the strengthening γ ″ and precipitation of networks of fine δ needles that span the grains. Microstructurally, post-processing resulted in dissolution of the δ networks and homogeneous precipitation of γ ″ throughout the height of the build. In the as-fabricated state, the monotonic tensile behavior exhibits a height sensitivity within the T-orientation at both 20 and 650 °C. Along the L-orientation, the tensile behavior exhibits strength values comparable to the reference wrought material in the fully heat-treated state. After post-processing, the yield strength, ultimate strength, and elongation at failure for the EBM Inconel 718 were observed to have beneficially increased compared to the as-fabricated material. Further, as a result of post-processing the spatial variance of the ultimate yield strength and elongation at failure within the transverse direction decreased by 4 and 3× respectively.

Grinding temperature and power consumption in high speed grinding of Inconel 718 nickel-based superalloy with a vitrified CBN wheel

Abstract: As a kind of typical difficult-to-cut metallic material, Inconel 718 nickel-based superalloy has been widely applied in aero-engines. High speed grinding experiments of Inconel 718 have been carried out using a vitrified cubic boron nitride (CBN) superabrasive wheel in the current study. The effects of wheel speed vs on grinding temperature and power consumption were investigated. Meanwhile, the grinding performance was also analyzed from the viewpoint of undeformed chip thickness. The results obtained show that, the minimum grinding forces and specific grinding energy are obtained at vs of 120 m/s and the grinding temperature is less than 100 °C at this moment. The lost grinding power reaches the maximum value when vs is 140 m/s, which accounts for about 55%–65% of the total grinding power; however, the minimum values, such as about 20%–30%, are obtained at a conventional wheel speed. Finally, the wheel speeds in grinding Inconel 718 are optimized at 100–120 m/s under the given experimental conditions, with which not only the surface roughness Ra below 0.4 μm is obtained, but also the distorted lattice or elongated grain cannot be formed in the ground surface/subsurface layer.

Laser powder-bed fusion of Inconel 718 to manufacture turbine blades

Abstract: In the frame of additive manufacturing of metals, laser powder-bed fusion is investigated in this paper as an advanced industrial prototyping tool to manufacture Inconel 718 turbine blades at a predesign stage before flow production. Expediting of the evaluation of any upgrade to the part is aimed. To this purpose, possible anisotropy of manufacturing is preliminarily investigated via tensile testing at room and elevated temperature as a function of the sloping angle with the building plate; the normalized strength is given and compared with similar studies in the literature. Positioning and proper supporting in manufacturing are discussed; the parts are further investigated to assess their compliance with the intended nominal geometry.

Mechanical characterization and modelling of Inconel 718 material behavior for machining process assessment

Abstract: Nickel based alloys are extensively used in the aerospace industry due to the excellent corrosion resistance and high mechanical properties that are maintained up to elevated temperatures (600–800 °C). However, these superalloys are classified as difficult-to-cut and therefore modelling and simulation of the machining processes has become a key in the machinability assessment of nickel based alloys. The reliability of Finite Element Models (FEM) largely depends on the quality of input parameters, one of the most relevant being the constitutive material model representing work material behavior under high strain, strain rate and temperatures. In order to develop a reliable material model, the present work deals with a complete characterization of Inconel 718. Uniaxial compression tests at testing temperatures close to those found in machining (21–1050 °C) and high strain rates (10°−10 2 s −1 ) were performed on the Gleeble 3500 testing machine. Moreover, the microstructural analysis and microhardness measurements of the testing samples were performed, in order to correlate the microstructural state with the mechanical properties of the Inconel 718. Based on this experimental work, a new coupled empirical model is proposed to describe the particular behaviour of nickel based alloys at elevated temperatures and high strain rates. This material behaviour model introduces softening phenomena as well as the coupling between the temperature and the strain rate known to occur experimentally, for machining FEM simulations with Inconel 718 superalloy.