TY - GEN
T1 - OPTIONS FOR IMPROVING PERFORMANCE OF ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURED NICKEL-BASE SUPERALLOYS FOR GAS TURBINE APPLICATIONS
AU - Bridges, Alex
AU - Shingledecker, John
AU - Clark, John
AU - Crudden, David
AU - Kirka, Michael
AU - Fernandez-Zelaia, Patxi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 by The United States Government.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Additive manufacturing (AM) has been increasingly used for gas turbine components over the last decade. Many different components can successfully be designed, printed and used in the gas turbine. However, there still exist questions on the use of AM components in hot-section areas. These components are typically fabricated from nickel-base superalloys that are known to have superior mechanical properties at elevated temperatures (e.g. creep and fatigue). Research over the last decade has been primarily focused on the printability of nickel-base superalloys and there still exists a gap in understanding the high temperature processing-structure-properties-performance relationships of these alloy systems. This study evaluates the effect of processing methods, such as laser-based powder bed fusion (LBPBF) and electron beam powder bed fusion (EBPBF), on resulting microstructure and time dependent mechanical properties of a nickel-base superalloy (ABD®900). Material after each build was subsequently heat treated using both near-solvus (at or slightly below the gamma prime solvus temperature) and super-solvus (above gamma prime solvus temperature) conditions. Multi-step aging was then carried out to produce a bi-modal distribution of gamma prime precipitates as is typical in similar alloys. Microstructure was evaluated in both the as-built and fully heat-treated conditions for each processing technique. Mechanical testing was conducted to evaluate the effects of AM build methods, microstructure, and heat treatment on high temperature mechanical properties. The results show there are several methods which can be used to improve the performance of components built using AM. The creep testing results for ABD900-AM clearly show an improvement in properties (rupture life and ductility) at all test conditions compared to testing in the prior AM alloy of the same class. A super-solvus heat treatment improved creep rupture strength by ~3X in the LBPBF material compared to the near-solvus heat treatment. These findings provide directions for future studies to advance the overall state of gas turbine technology by enabling ABD®900-AM material and other AM alloys to be used in more innovative hot-section components.
AB - Additive manufacturing (AM) has been increasingly used for gas turbine components over the last decade. Many different components can successfully be designed, printed and used in the gas turbine. However, there still exist questions on the use of AM components in hot-section areas. These components are typically fabricated from nickel-base superalloys that are known to have superior mechanical properties at elevated temperatures (e.g. creep and fatigue). Research over the last decade has been primarily focused on the printability of nickel-base superalloys and there still exists a gap in understanding the high temperature processing-structure-properties-performance relationships of these alloy systems. This study evaluates the effect of processing methods, such as laser-based powder bed fusion (LBPBF) and electron beam powder bed fusion (EBPBF), on resulting microstructure and time dependent mechanical properties of a nickel-base superalloy (ABD®900). Material after each build was subsequently heat treated using both near-solvus (at or slightly below the gamma prime solvus temperature) and super-solvus (above gamma prime solvus temperature) conditions. Multi-step aging was then carried out to produce a bi-modal distribution of gamma prime precipitates as is typical in similar alloys. Microstructure was evaluated in both the as-built and fully heat-treated conditions for each processing technique. Mechanical testing was conducted to evaluate the effects of AM build methods, microstructure, and heat treatment on high temperature mechanical properties. The results show there are several methods which can be used to improve the performance of components built using AM. The creep testing results for ABD900-AM clearly show an improvement in properties (rupture life and ductility) at all test conditions compared to testing in the prior AM alloy of the same class. A super-solvus heat treatment improved creep rupture strength by ~3X in the LBPBF material compared to the near-solvus heat treatment. These findings provide directions for future studies to advance the overall state of gas turbine technology by enabling ABD®900-AM material and other AM alloys to be used in more innovative hot-section components.
KW - additive manufacturing
KW - electron beam powder bed fusion
KW - high temperature creep
KW - laser-based powder bed fusion
KW - nickel-base superalloys
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85177427269&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1115/GT2023-102648
DO - 10.1115/GT2023-102648
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85177427269
T3 - Proceedings of the ASME Turbo Expo
BT - Industrial and Cogeneration; Manufacturing Materials and Metallurgy
PB - American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
T2 - ASME Turbo Expo 2023: Turbomachinery Technical Conference and Exposition, GT 2023
Y2 - 26 June 2023 through 30 June 2023
ER -
