The mechanical and microstructural characteristics of laser-deposited IN718

The paper is concerned with the application of laser deposition to the nickel-based superalloy INCONEL™ 718 (IN718). Several blocks of material were manufactured using the LENS™ process and subsequently heat treated and tensile tested. Following this, further sections of the original blocks were hot isostatically pressed (HIPed) and then reassessed for mechanical properties and microstructure. It was found that prior to HIPing the deposit exhibited anisotropic properties that appeared to be associated with non-optimised processing conditions. HIPing led to a reduction in anisotropy within the deposit, but generated considerable grain growth within the (IN718) substrate.