Phase transformations during continuous cooling in Inconel 718 alloys manufactured by laser powder bed fusion and suction casting

Understanding alloy phase transformations during continuous cooling is important for post-processing design and optimization. In this work, continuous-cooling-transformation (CCT) diagrams of Inconel 718 alloys manufactured by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and suction casting are developed under different homogenization conditions. Unlike the available CCT diagrams in the reported studies, no γ″ and γ' precipitates can be observed. NbC and δ are determined to be the precipitates after cooling from the γ matrix. Importantly, homogenization time and manufacturing methods are found to affect the Nb homogeneity in the matrix near NbC particles and thus significantly influence the precipitation process of the δ phase, which has a high content in Nb. In the alloys with high Nb homogeneity, the nucleation process mainly contributes to the precipitation, whereas in the alloys with low Nb homogeneity, the precipitation is primarily associated with the growth process. Subgrains are found to form after cooling at 0.1 K/s and can cause the highest hardness in samples. This work provides a new viewpoint on the study of processing-structure-property relationships during cooling in Inconel 718 and is beneficial to the development of alloy post-processing strategies.