Effect of Pre-Post TIG Welding Heat Treatment on Cast NI Superalloy

Abstract

The effect of a pre (before) and post (after) heating welding treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the scrap blades made of cast INC738LC superalloy is the main goal of the present investigation. The filler used in TIG welding was a INC 625 solution hardened superalloy as the proposed solution for hot cracking of the INC738LC cast superalloy in literature. The TIG welding was processed with respect to the constantly optimized parameters (current, voltage, speed, gas flux rate and number of passes) to make a mechanical properties comparison between the as received superalloy and the welded superalloy with heat treated specimens. The characterization techniques employed in this study are hardness measurements, tensile tests, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. We found that the proposed preheating improves the TIG welding of the INC 738 LC superalloy specimens and the post welding heat treatment enhances its mechanical properties.

Keywords

• ni-base superalloy
• microstructure
• heat treatment
• welding
• precipitation