Effect of Vanadium on the Solidification and Homogenization Behaviors in Inconel 718 Alloy

Effect of vanadium (V) on the solidification and homogenization behaviors in Inconel 718 alloy is investigated. V is observed to evenly distribute in dendritic and interdendritic zones, and slightly increase niobium (Nb) and molybdenum (Mo) segregation coefficients. However, Laves phase volume fraction reduces from 2.3 to 0.4%, indicating that V may effectively prevent the precipitation of Laves phase. Homogenization results show that diffusion coefficient of Nb is much higher in the V‐containing alloy, and it takes fewer hours to remove Laves phase, which suggest that microalloying of V can be very helpful in ingots homogenization annealing of Inconel 718 alloy in industry production. The Laves phase volume fraction can be reduced by over 80% due to the addition of 0.066 wt% vanadium. The alloying element greatly improves segregation of Inconel 718 alloy during solidification process.