Investigation of nickel-base superalloy fabricated by laser powder bed fusion

• Main Author: Ang, Glenn Han Tong
• Other Authors: Zhou Kun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2024
• Subjects: Engineering; Mechanical engineering; Laser powder bed fusion; 3D printing; High-entropy alloy
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/177588
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Inconel 725 (IN725) is a newly developed high-entropy superalloy designed to incorporate its previous counterparts' high strength and high corrosion resistance. These properties are highly sought after in industries that require shielding from extremely harsh physical environments, such as oil and gas, automotive, and aerospace. However, there is a research gap in the characterization of the microstructure and mechanical properties of IN725 fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). In this report, microstructural analysis and mechanical tests were carried out. The effects of different power levels and scanning strategies were rigorously investigated. Microstructural analysis was done using optical and scanning electron microscopes equipped with electron backscatter diffraction detectors (EBSD) on the printed components. Tensile tests and Vickers hardness tests were conducted to characterize the mechanical properties of IN725 printed at different power levels and scanning strategies. The results indicated that a higher power level yielded IN725 of higher strength. At the same time, the scanning strategy of 30º yielded the highest strength in IN725 among all the scanning strategies.