Effect of Conventional Heat Treatments on the Microstructure and Microhardness of IN718 Obtained by Wrought and Additive Manufacturing

IN718 is a Ni-based superalloy usually manufactured by conventional processes such as wrought or casting. However, recently additive manufacturing (AM) technologies, such as Powder bed fusion (PBF), are used to produce IN718 parts. Heat treatments, also designed for conventional processes, are usually used in AM parts to improve mechanical properties. Unlike traditional techniques, AM processes involve rapid cooling rates, large thermal gradients, and multiple reheat cycles, which might cause high residual stresses and elemental segregations in the printed parts affecting their final mechanical properties. In this work, a detailed comparative study of microstructural features was carried out in both wrought- and PBF-produced IN718. It was found differences in size, shape, and location of MC carbides. According to experimental results and the phase fraction diagram obtained from Thermo-Calc, these MC carbides cannot be dissolved in a conventional solution heat treatment. In consequence, these carbides continue their evolution during complete aging heat treatment, affecting the material hardness. Nevertheless, similar hardness in the wrought and AM sample was obtained after applying a modified aging treatment proposed in this work.