Fatigue crack initiation and propagation in Alloy 718 with a bimodal grain morphology built via electron beam-powder bed fusion

• A unique melting strategy was implemented in electron beam-powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) of Alloy 718, resulting in the formation of a bimodal grain morphology consisting of fine equiaxed and columnar grains. The microstructure was preserved following various thermal post-treatments. The post-treated specimens were exposed to low cycle fatigue (LCF), and fatigue crack growth (FCG) tests in ambient air at 600 °C under pure and dwell-time (120 s) fatigue cycles. Clustered inclusions spanned a region of 100-600 µm in length acted as the crack initiation site, reducing the specimens' total fatigue life. When compared to pure fatigue cycles, dwell-time fatigue cycles reduced LCF life by approximately 35%, regardless of the thermal post-treatments. Due to a high fraction of grain boundary area in the as-built EB-PBF specimens, oxygen diffusion across the grain boundaries was enhanced. The intergranular fracture mode was favored in the plastic zone ahead of the crack tip, leading to rapid crack growth. No unbroken ligaments behind the crack front were found by high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, which was consistent with a large crack opening displacement linked to severe deformation around the crack tip. 

Subject headings

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Bearbetnings-, yt- och fogningsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Manufacturing, Surface and Joining Technology (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Materialteknik -- Metallurgi och metalliska material (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Materials Engineering -- Metallurgy and Metallic Materials (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Maskinteknik -- Teknisk mekanik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Mechanical Engineering -- Applied Mechanics (hsv//eng)

Keyword

3D printers; Additives; Computerized tomography; Crack tips; Electron beams; Fatigue of materials; Grain boundaries; Morphology; Superalloys; Textures

Alloy 718; Bimodal grains; Dwell time; Electron-beam; Fatigue crack initiation; Fatigue cycles; Grain morphologies; Grain-boundaries; Powder bed; Thermal post-treatments

Fatigue crack propagation

Production Technology

Produktionsteknik

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)