Microstructure tailoring for crack mitigation in CM247LC manufactured by powder bed fusion – Laser beam

Journal article, 2025

Tailored microstructures in powder bed fusion – laser beam (PBF-LB) can aid in crack mitigation of non-weldable Ni-base superalloys such as CM247LC. This study explores the effect of a range of stripe widths from 5 mm down to 0.2 mm to control solidification cracking, microstructure, and residual stress in CM247LC manufactured by PBF-LB. The decrease in melt pool depth with the reduction in stripe width from 5 to 0.2 mm promoted the < 100 > crystallographic texture along the build direction. The crack density measurements indicated that there is an increase from 0.62 mm/mm2 (5 mm) to 1.71 mm/mm2 (1 mm) followed by a decrease to 0.33 mm/mm2 (0.2 mm). Atom probe tomography investigations at high-angle grain boundaries revealed that there is higher Hf segregation in 0.2 mm stripe width when compared to 5 mm. This indicates that the cracking behavior is likely influenced by the grain boundary segregation which in turn is dependent on melt pool shape/size and mushy zone length indicated by accompanying simulations. Residual stress, measured by X-ray diffraction, decreased from 842 MPa (5 mm) to 690 MPa (1 mm), followed by an abnormal rise to 842 MPa (0.7 mm) and 875 MPa (0.5 mm). This residual stress behavior is likely associated with the cracks acting as a stress relief mechanism. However, the 0.2 mm stripe width exhibited the lowest stress of 647 MPa, suggesting a different mechanism for stress relief, possibly due to re-melting. These findings highlight the critical role of stripe width as a scan strategy in PBF-LB processing of crack-susceptible alloys.