A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Microstructure and mechanical properties of laser welded PBF-LB/IN718
Authors: Parchegani Chozaki, Saeid ; Piili, Heidi; Nyrhila, Olli; Salminen, Antti
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Welding in the World
ISSN: 0043-2288
eISSN: 1878-6669
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-02213-0
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Partially Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40194-025-02213-0
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/505438225
Applications for additively manufactured (AM) metal parts, particularly via laser-based powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M), have been growing significantly in industries with high level of requirements such as aerospace, nuclear plant, automotive, energy, and medical industry. However, PBF-LB/M parts often require welding to other components due to their limited size. Thus, the weldability of PBF-LB/M parts is of interest, particularly due to the microstructural differences between PBF-LB/M and conventionally manufactured parts. This study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of laser-welded PBF-LB/IN718 and compares the results with laser-welded sheet metal IN718. In addition, the effect of heat treatment before welding on the weldability of PBF-LB/IN718 samples was evaluated. Both the heat-treated and as-built PBF-LB/IN718 welds had lower microhardness at the fusion zone (FZ) than the base metals, whereas the sheet metal IN718 weld showed higher microhardness at FZ than the base metal. This was attributed to the distinct secondary phases and microstructure of the conventional IN718 and PBF-LB/IN718 samples. Nevertheless, the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of PBF-LB/IN718 welds were higher than the conventional IN718 welds, proving that laser welding is a viable method of joining PBF-LB/IN718 parts. Finally, the fatigue strength of the PBF-LB/IN718 welds, assessed at 106 cycles, was inferior to that of the conventional IN718 welds, owning to the defects such as lack of fusion in the base metal of PBF-LB/IN718 samples.
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Funding information in the publication:
Open Access funding provided by University of Turku (including Turku University Central Hospital). This work was financed by the projects CaNeLis funded by business Finland and VADILA project funded by European Regional Development Fund.