Build direction dependence of microstructure and high-temperature tensile property of Co–Cr–Mo alloy fabricated by electron beam melting

The microstructures and high-temperature tensile properties of a Co–28Cr–6Mo–0.23C–0.17N alloy fabricated by electron beam melting (EBM) with cylindrical axes deviating from the build direction by 0°, 45°, 55° and 90° were investigated. The preferred crystal orientations of the γ phase in the as-EBM-built samples with angles of 0°, 45°, 55° and 90° were near [0 0 1], [1 1 0], [1 1 1] and [1 0 0], respectively. M23C6 precipitates (M = Cr, Mo or Si) were observed to align along the build direction with intervals of around 3 μm. The phase was completely transformed into a single ε-hexagonal close-packed (hcp) phase after aging treatment at 800 °C for 24 h, when lamellar colonies of M2N precipitates and the ε-hcp phase appeared in the matrix. Among the samples, the one built with 55° deviation had the highest ultimate tensile strength of 806 MPa at 700 °C. The relationship between the microstructure and the build direction dependence of mechanical properties suggested that the conditions of heat treatment to homogenize the microstructure throughout the height of the EBM-built object should be determined by taking into account the thermal history during the post-melt period of the EBM process, especially when the solid–solid transformation is sluggish.