Review of laser deposited superalloys using powder as an additive

Paper in proceeding, 2014

In this paper laser metal deposition (LMD) with blown powder was reviewed with respect to the material behavior of nickel and nickel-iron based superalloys. The key benefits of LMD are claimed to be increased design freedom of components as well as reduced environmental impact since it enables near net shape manufacturing. This review considers the LMD processing parameters such as laser power, powder feed rate, spot size, standoff distance, and traverse speed, together with aspects related to the powder e.g. morphology, porosity, inclusion and satellite content. Special emphasis was put on how these parameters affect the deposit and substrate in terms of cracking, porosity, inclusions, phase transformations, and other material related phenomena. A characteristic microstructure of LMD deposited superalloys has a columnar dendrite growth in the vertical build up direction. The grain growth can however be manipulated, making it more equiaxed by, for instance, altering process parameters and/or scanning path. Residual stresses in LMD samples are unevenly distributed and large residual tensile stresses can be found at the surface of the deposit while large compressive stresses are located close to the substrate in the core of the deposit. One of the most important parameter is considered to be the specific energy input which largely influences the melt pool during deposition which in turn can be related to the microstructure, residual stress and, process related defects such as porosity, cracking, lack of fusion and, dilution.