Novel materials design for defect free additive manufacturing of difficult to weld Ni-based alloys.
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Linköpings universitet - Department of Management and Engineering |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 5 000 000 |
| Project duration | June 2018 - August 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | The strategic innovation programme for Metallic material |
| Call | Towards a world leading position in additive manufacturing for metallic materials. |
Important results from the project
The goal of the project has been powder and process development of new additively manufactured (AM) superalloys with high strength and high oxidation resistance. The project has successfully: - As a function of composition, evaluated the hot-crack sensitivity, process window and the resulting properties of various Ni-based superalloys when using AM - Develop a methodology for robust alloy design of superalloys by introducing a model that predicts the hot-crack sensitivity during AM - Proposed new alloy compositions with reduced cracking tendency and improved properties
Expected long term effects
By combining the existing knowledge of Ni-base alloys (manufactured both conventionally and by AM) with advanced material characterization techniques and thermodynamic modelling tools to understand the problem of crack formation in AM of difficult-to-weld Ni-base alloys, this project have generated methods for more rapid development of new advanced Ni base alloys for demanding applications. This will contribute to increased efficiency and support the introduction of alternative fuels and flexible cycles for a more environmentally sustainable operation of gas turbines.
Approach and implementation
A number of different variants of Ni base alloys have been evaluated regarding cracking during laser and powder bed fusion (LPBF). Based on these studies, a model has been developed that can be used in a simple way to evaluate a powder composition with respect to hot cracks during LPBF. The model has been verified and shows very good agreement with experimental results. With the help of the modeling tools, a number of new powder compositions have been developed and verified with regard to both processability, microstructure and properties.