Mechanical Properties and Microstructures of As Printed and Heat Treated Samples of Selective Laser Melted IN625 Alloy Powder

Abstract

The current study focusses in evaluating the mechanical properties (yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation %) and microstructures of as printed and heat treated tensile samples produced by Selective Laser Melting (SLM) which is an Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique. The as printed IN625 alloy exhibited good mechanical properties as compared to cast and wrought alloy, owing to fast cooling rates that give very fine dendritic/cellular structures during the SLM process. Standard solutionizing and precipitation hardening treatment was given to the SLM as printed samples. The as printed sample’s ductility increased from 30% elongation to 47% elongation with small drop in tensile strength from 878MPa to 836MPa. The increase of ductility after heat treatment was evident in the change of fracture morphology from long straight striations with dimple shape ductile like features in the as printed sample to mainly dimple shaped ductile-like fracture surface in the heat treated sample as observed in the FESEM.