A Quantitative Approach to Precipitate Characterization in Wire Arc Additive Manufactured Inconel 600 Series Alloys

In this work, wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM-ed) Inconel 617- and 625-wmo grade alloys are characterized in detail for the type and distribution of precipitates in as-built and heat-treated conditions. The analyses are carried out near (~1 mm) and away (~10 mm) from the substrate along the build direction to investigate the effect of the substrate on the nature of precipitate formation. For each analysis location, morphological and chemical information of at least 400 precipitate features was identified and classified using stoichiometric analysis of SEM-EDS data combined with feature analytics. Carbides and carbonitrides are present in both Inconel 600 series alloys but Laves phase precipitates are identified only in the case of Inconel 625 wmo alloy. It is observed that the nature of precipitates size distribution is not altered significantly when compared between the two analysed locations for a particular grade. Furthermore, Laves phase precipitates closer to the substrate (1 mm) are richer in iron because of the effect of mild steel substrate on precipitation characteristics in Inconel 625 alloy. Our novel characterization approach will pave the way for comparing the microstructures of additively manufactured samples printed using different process parameters and variations.