Fatigue behavior and microstructural characterization of nickel-base superalloy Inconel 939 produced by laser melting process

The present study investigated the microstructural characteristics and its impact on the resulting mechanical properties of the nickel-based superalloy lnconel 939 processed by selective laser melting (SLM) and data are compared to an lnconel 939 cast alloy. The monotonic and microstructural results demonstrate a strong dependency on the building direction of the SLM-processed material and a distinct difference to the cast alloy, particularly relating to the microstructure. Strain-controlled isothermal and thermomechanical fatigue in combination with the digital-imagecorrelation (DIC) describe the mechanical behavior and the critical area in the structure. Whether the SLM- or the cast alloy achieves a higher lifetime during isothermal fatigue, depends on the strain amplitude. For low strain amplitudes, the aged SLM-material has a higher lifetime in the temperature range from room temperature to 750 C and shows a better fatigue characteristic compared to the cast alloy. By increasing the amplitude, the existing pores become dominant and a fast failure occurs. However, the porosity was reduced drastically in the HIP-condition.