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

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 (<1100 °C) for conventional material is found to be not high enough for materials fabricated with SLM method in order to dissolve Laves and other microsegregated phases for releasing the ageing constituents (Nb, Ti, Al) sufficiently into the alloy matrix. In this study, sample of Inconel 718 fabricated with SLM method were solution heat-treated to 1100 °C or 1250 °C at different hold times to investigate the dissolution of macro- and micro-segregated precipitates. Investigations of microstructure and segregation in as-printed and solution heat-treated states have been studied using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Optical Microscopy (OM). Measurement of material hardness was performed with Vickers hardness tests. The microstructure of the as-printed parts exhibit non-columnar grains, but contain well-shaped columnar/cellular sub-grains. The intergranular boundaries are decorated with high density of dislocations and segregated particles. Tremendous stress relief and grain coarsening were observed with solution heat treatment. In particular, at 1250 °C annealing, the sub-grains, including precipitates and dislocation networks along the sub-grain boundaries, were entirely dissolved. However, the 1100/1250 °C solution heat treatment scheme could not dissolve microsegregated precipitates and carbides completely. Details of the analysis on microstructure, dissolution of precipitates and hardness are presented.