Additive manufacturing of Ni-based superalloys: Residual stress, mechanisms of crack formation and strategies for crack inhibition

• Published in: Nano materials science Vol. 5; no. 1; pp. 53 - 77
• Main Authors: Guo, Chuan, Li, Gan, Li, Sheng, Hu, Xiaogang, Lu, Hongxing, Li, Xinggang, Xu, Zhen, Chen, Yuhan, Li, Qingqing, Lu, Jian, Zhu, Qiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.03.2023; CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute,Shenzhen,518045,China; Department of Mechanical Engineering,Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science,Greater Bay Joint Division,City University of Hong Kong,Tat Chee Avenue,Kowloon,Hong Kong,China%School of Materials and Energy,Guangdong University of Technology,Guangzhou,510006,China%Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China%Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China%CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute,Shenzhen,518045,China; Department of Mechanical Engineering,Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science,Greater Bay Joint Division,City University of Hong Kong,Tat Chee Avenue,Kowloon,Hong Kong,China; Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China%CityU-Shenzhen Futian Research Institute,Shenzhen,518045,China; Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China; KeAi Communications Co., Ltd
• Subjects: Additive manufacturing; Mechanisms of crack formation; Methods of crack inhibition; Ni-based superalloys; Residual stress; Methods of crack inhibition; Ni-based superalloys; Additive manufacturing; Residual stress; Mechanisms of crack formation
• ISSN: 2589-9651; 2096-6482; 2589-9651
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nanoms.2022.08.001

The additive manufacturing (AM) of Ni-based superalloys has attracted extensive interest from both academia and industry due to its unique capabilities to fabricate complex and high-performance components for use in high-end industrial systems. However, the intense temperature gradient induced by the rapid heating and cooling processes of AM can generate high levels of residual stress and metastable chemical and structural states, inevitably leading to severe metallurgical defects in Ni-based superalloys. Cracks are the greatest threat to these materials’ integrity as they can rapidly propagate and thereby cause sudden and non-predictable failure. Consequently, there is a need for a deeper understanding of residual stress and cracking mechanisms in additively manufactured Ni-based superalloys and ways to potentially prevent cracking, as this knowledge will enable the wider application of these unique materials. To this end, this paper comprehensively reviews the residual stress and the various mechanisms of crack formation in Ni-based superalloys during AM. In addition, several common methods for inhibiting crack formation are presented to assist the research community to develop methods for the fabrication of crack-free additively manufactured components.