Modelling of microstructures development in laser powder bed fusion process – Application to IN718 superalloy

Abstract

In laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) process, a deposited powder layer is melted by a laser and solidifies when the laser moves away. During solidification, the microstructure of the part is formed due to both epitaxial grain growth and nucleation. This structure has a strong influence on the final mechanical properties of parts and is influenced by the choice of process parameters such as the laser power and velocity or the scanning strategy. As a consequence, the prediction and characterization of this microstructure is of prime interest considering size, crystallographic orientations and shapes of grains. Among the approaches reported in the literature to model microstructure development, the Cellular Automaton (CA) method is a relevant choice to describe grain structure evolution. This model has been adapted to investigate microstructure formation during L-PBF process applied on an IN718 nickel-base superalloy. The steady state thermal behaviour at the scale of the melt pool is analysed and used to compute the development of the structure. This structure is computed at the scale of the part also considering realistic scanning strategies.