Inconel 718 Powder – Comparison of Rheological Properties

(Inconel 718 Powder – Comparison of Rheological Properties)

inconel 718 powder is a nickel-based superalloy that has excellent strength and corrosion resistance at both ends of the temperature range. It is widely used in high-value engineering applications, such as jet engines in aerospace and nuclear power plants, as well as in defense and marine sectors.

Inconel 718 is a versatile material that offers a wide variety of benefits, making it the ideal metal for additive manufacturing or 3D printing. It has an age-hardening property that allows it to be fabricated in complex parts, while its corrosion resistance makes it ideal for high-temperature environments.

A comparison of rheological properties between virgin and recycled inconel 718 powders was carried out to identify the effects of recycling on powder properties, including particle shape, particle size distribution (PSD), surface texture, and rheological or flow characteristics. A number of tests were conducted to determine the rheological properties of each powder state: Stability and variable flow rate (VFR) test, CPS test, shear test, and wall friction test.

Porosity levels of LPBF-ed control specimens produced from virgin and recycled IN718 powders were characterized using computer image analysis. The porosity results showed that the pore level of V powders was significantly higher than that of the recycled powder. This was due to the deformed spherical particles that were formed during recycling, which caused the entrapped gas to be re-melted and removed from the powder.

Moreover, the measured hardness of all powder states did not differ significantly. The average hardness of the powders is in the range of 240-250 HV, which is typical of annealed Inconel 718.

(Inconel 718 Powder – Comparison of Rheological Properties)