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Effect of alloy composition and laser powder bed fusion parameters on the defect formation and mechanical properties of Inconel 625

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Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the effects of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processing parameters and alloy composition on defect formation and mechanical properties of Inconel 625 (IN625). The effects of laser power and scan speed on defect formation were evaluated for two batches of IN625 powder with slightly different compositions. Cracks were observed in all processing conditions for the powder with higher levels of Si and Nb, but not in any condition for the powder with lower Si and Nb. The elimination of cracks through composition changes led to an improvement in all tensile properties, most notably an increase in elongation from 32% to 39–48%. The effect of composition on cracking was confirmed using solidification simulations for each alloy and a numerical cracking index. Porosity was found to have a non-linear relationship with the laser scan speed for both powder batches, with large pores forming for excessively high and low speeds, due to lack of fusion and unstable melt pools, respectively. Nevertheless, samples with relative densities exceeding 99.8% were produced through the selection of suitable values for laser power and scan speed. It is concluded that porosity in IN625 is sensitive to the selection of processing parameters, while composition changes within the nominal ranges for IN625 can significantly alter the crack susceptibility of the material.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the scientific and technical assistance of the RMIT Advanced Manufacturing Precinct (AMP) and the RMIT Microscopy and Microanalysis Facility (RMMF). The authors also acknowledge the technical assistance of Nathan De Bondt, Ishwor Hamal, and Joe Elambasseril (RMIT University), Yuxiang Wu (Monash University), and Michael Roberts and Mark Harris (Defence Science & Technology Group). This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. M. J. Benoit also gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program.

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M. J. Benoit acknowledges the financial support of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship program which allowed for this research to be conducted.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Additive Manufacturing, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia

    Michael J. Benoit, Maciej Mazur, Mark A. Easton & Milan Brandt

  2. School of Engineering, University of British Columbia, Kelowna, BC, V1V 1V7, Canada

    Michael J. Benoit

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  1. Michael J. Benoit
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  2. Maciej Mazur
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  4. Milan Brandt
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Contributions

Michael J. Benoit: conceptualization; methodology; investigation; writing—original draft; visualization; project administration; Maciej Mazur: conceptualization; methodology; investigation; writing—original draft; visualization; funding acquisition; Mark A. Easton: methodology; writing—review and editing; supervision; Milan Brandt: resources; writing—review and editing; supervision; funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Michael J. Benoit.

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Benoit, M.J., Mazur, M., Easton, M.A. et al. Effect of alloy composition and laser powder bed fusion parameters on the defect formation and mechanical properties of Inconel 625. Int J Adv Manuf Technol 114, 915–927 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-021-06957-z

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