Enhanced high-temperature mechanical properties and strengthening mechanisms of chemically prepared nano-TiC reinforced IN738LC via laser powder bed fusion

Fabrication of high-strength nickel-based composites to meet the demanding service requirements in aerospace environments is a significant challenge. This paper introduces the wet chemical method to prepare the nano-TiC reinforced IN738LC. In contrast to the conventional ball milling approach, this method attains superior attachment of nanoparticles. By employing a full-factorial experimental design, the correlation between Laserpowder bed fusion (L-PBF) processing parameters and the porosity, micro-hardness, and high-temperature tensile strength of as-built samples was examined. The results indicate that the optimal processing parameters are a laser power of 225 W, scanning speed of 750 mm/s, and hatch space of 0.09 mm, with a Volumetric energy density (VED) of 111.1 J/mm3. Compared to IN738LC, the chemically prepared TiC-IN738LC exhibits a 45 % increase in room temperature tensile strength (400 MPa) and a 65 % increase in high-temperature tensile strength (120 MPa). Compared with ball-milled TiC-IN738LC, the chemically prepared samples present superior microstructure with more equiaxed grains. The morphological analysis of the tensile samples reveals that the presence of dimples are crucial in enhancing the ductility properties. Furthermore, this study identifies the Orowan strengthening mechanism and the grain refinement strengthening mechanism as the principal mechanisms of reinforcement by nano-ceramics.