Investigation of Microstructure and Mechanical Performance of IN738LC Superalloy Thin Wall Produced by Pulsed Plasma Arc Additive Manufacturing

The IN738LC Ni-based superalloy strengthened by the coherent γ′-Ni(3)(Al,Ti) intermetallic compound is one of the most employed blade materials in gas turbine engines and IN738LC thin wall components without macro-cracks were fabricated by pulsed plasma arc additive manufacturing (PPAAM), which is more competitive when considering convenience and cost in comparison with other high-energy beam additive manufacturing technologies. The as-fabricated sample exhibited epitaxial growth columnar dendrites along the building direction with discrepant secondary arm spacing due to heat accumulation. A lot of fine γ′ particles with an average size of 81 nm and MC carbides were observed in the interdendritic region. Elemental segregation and γ–γ′ eutectic reaction were analyzed in detail and some MC carbides were confirmed in the reaction L + MC→γ + γ′. After standard heat treatment, bimodal distribution of γ′ phases, including coarse γ′ particles (385 nm, 42 vol.%) and fine γ′ particles (42 nm, 25 vol.%), was observed. The mechanism of microstructural evolution, phase formation, as well as cracking mechanisms were discussed. Microhardness and tensile tests were carried out to investigate the mechanical performance. The results show that both the as-fabricated and heat-treated samples exhibited a higher tensile strength but a slightly lower ductility compared with cast parts.