Applications of alloy design to cracking resistance of additively manufactured Ni-based alloys

Abstract

Utilisation of additive manufacturing (AM) for the fabrication of Ni-based alloys has seen a massive uptake in both academic and commercial institutions. However, processing of traditional Ni-based superalloys through AM has encountered numerous cracking issues. The primary forms of cracking include solidification, solid-state and liquation mechanisms. Many of these forms of cracking are influenced by the compositions, with certain Ni-based systems showing impressive resistance. The design of novel alloys systems specifically tuned for processing through AM might be necessary to realise the potential of these techniques. Recently, researchers have taken advantage of improved computational alloy design frameworks. These frameworks utilise methods such as neural networks to analyse massive volumes of data and predict compositions that might satisfy specific design criteria.