Improved dynamic impact behaviour of wire-arc additive manufactured ATI 718Plus®

The dynamic response and impact resistance of wire-arc additive manufactured (AMed) and wrought ATI 718Plus in different heat treatment conditions are characterised by using a direct impact Hopkinson pressure bar system. In addition, microstructural analyses of the alloys, before and after impact, are characterised by using advanced microscopy techniques, including scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies. The experimental results show that the impact resistance of the AMed alloy in the as-processed condition is inferior to that of the wrought alloy. The lower impact resistance is attributed to the presence of eutectic solidification constituents in the interdendritic regions and to the inhomogeneous distribution of the strengthening precipitates in the deposit. After the application of the recommended heat treatment for ATI 718Plus, excessive formation of η-phase particles are observed in the microstructure in addition to Laves phase particles. Since the recommended heat treatment for ATI 718Plus is not sufficient to eliminate the deleterious phases and optimise the properties of the alloy, a novel heat treatment procedure is proposed. Dynamic impact study of the AMed alloy after the application of the proposed approach shows that the alloy exhibits a dynamic response and impact resistance comparable to those of the wrought alloy. Furthermore, under high impact momentum, both the wrought and the AMed alloys fail due to the adiabatic shear band. A transmission electron microscopy analysis of the deformed alloys suggests the dissolution of the γ' precipitates in the shear band as well as in the adjacent regions to the shear band. Increase in the rate of dissolution of the precipitates due to strain-assisted diffusion coupled with an increase in the adiabatic temperature during deformation, are likely causes of the dissolution of the precipitates in the shear band regions.