Microstructure and mechanical properties of Inconel 625/nano-TiB2 composite fabricated by LAAM

Laser aided additive manufacturing (LAAM) was applied to produce nano-TiB2 particle reinforced Inconel 625 composite material. The influence of nano-TiB2 addition on the microstructure, micro-hardness, wear performance and mechanical properties of the composite was studied. The XRD and SEM analyses verified that the LAAM processed Inconel 625/nano-TiB2 composite consisted of single long columnar grain along building direction with TiB2 particles concentration at grain boundaries. The mechanical testing revealed that the LAAM processed Inconel 625/nano-TiB2 composite possessed excellent tensile properties (σUTS ≈ 1020 MPa, σ0.2YS ≈ 714 MPa, δ ≈ 19%) with relatively high micro-hardness (HV0.2 = 347) and good abrasive resistance (COF ≈ 0.39).