A team of researchers from this department and Engineering, and the University of Southampton, used micro-focus X-ray computed tomography to characterize the processability of a new class of alumina-forming superalloy for 3D printing, using the heritage alloy CM247LC as a benchmark.
In all cases, some processing-related porosity was present in thin wall sections such as the trailing edge, which can be avoided by judicious processing. The cracking seen in CM247LC (in solid-state, liquidation and solidification forms) was avoided. In this paper, Joseph Ghoussoub and his collaborators propose a novel sub-solvus heat treatment strategy which takes advantage of AM not requiring solutioning. The tensile strength, oxidation resistance and cracking resistance are explained; in all cases they were equivalent or superior to that of CM247LC, however a processing/property trade-off is noted.
Read the full paper in Volume 52 of Additive Manufacturing.