Cracking mechanisms and effect of extensive preheating in CM247LC and IN713LC Ni-base superalloy processed by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

Laser powder bed fusion processing of non-weldable γ’-strengthened Ni-based superalloys is challenging due to various cracking mechanisms that occur during the solidification and cooling stages of the materials. The current study offers an insight into the failure mechanisms of the CM247LC and IN713LC alloys, identifying the preheating temperatures which can mitigate cracking phenomena during processing. The adopted methodology involved the alloy processing by a standard Laser powder bed fusion system followed by microstructural characterization. It was confirmed that the development of cracks with a length in the range of 100–500 µm became evident in both alloys. High-temperature preheating strategies were then investigated using a simplified approach based on single laser track remelting. At pre-heating levels up to about 900 ◦C, corresponding to measured cooling rates of the order of 104 ◦C/s, hot cracks were still observed in the alloys due to γ’ precipitation and segregation of carbide former elements at the cell boundaries according to both microstructure observations and thermodynamic predictions. Preheating conditions at higher temperatures targeting levels above the γ’-solvus temperature, exceeding 1200 ◦C could promote slower cooling rates, leading to full suppression of cracks in the investigated γ’-strengthened alloys.