Effects of Pore Distribution on Mechanical Properties of Selective Laser Melted Inconel-718

Abstract

In recent years, Selective Laser Melting (SLM) technology has made significant advancements, offering high precision and near-net shaping capabilities that are widely applicable in aerospace, mechanical, and electrical industries. Inconel-718, known for its exceptional high-temperature corrosion resistance, fatigue endurance, and wear resistance, has found extensive use in aerospace applications such as gas turbine disks, rocket engines, and spacecraft components. However, the presence of porous defects in SLM-manufactured metal parts is inevitable, and these pores significantly affect the mechanical properties of the materials. While contemporary studies have focused on the influence of individual or a limited number of pores, the impact of pore distribution has been largely overlooked. This oversight leads to reduced prediction accuracy and hampers the practical implementation of SLM technology. Therefore, this paper specifically investigates the impact of pore distribution on the performance of SLM-manufactured metal materials, using Inconel-718 as an example. The study establishes simulation experiment models to explore diverse pore distribution patterns, including spatial position distribution models and spatial quantity distribution models. The Finite Element Method (FEM) model utilizes the Johnson-Cook constitutive model, and the pores are equivalently modelled as two-dimensional plane ellipses. Uniaxial tension simulations are performed to analyze the mechanical behavior of the materials. The results demonstrate that the mechanical properties of SLM-fabricated Inconel-718 are significantly influenced by the spatial position distribution, spatial quantity distribution, and spatial orientation distribution of the pores. Under different spatial position distributions, materials with more pores parallel to the stretching direction exhibit poorer mechanical performance due to earlier and more significant stress concentration. Under different spatial quantity distributions, materials with a higher pore density and smaller pore spacing show worse mechanical performance due to earlier and more severe stress concentration. Under different spatial orientation distributions, materials with a larger angle between the pore’s major axis and the stretching direction exhibit worse mechanical performance due to enhanced stress and earlier and more severe stress concentration. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering pore distribution in SLM-manufactured metal materials, providing insights into the impact of spatial position, quantity, and orientation distributions on the mechanical properties of Inconel-718.