Effect of Current Waveform on Microstructure Evolution and Mechanical Properties of GH4169 High-Temperature Alloy Tungsten Inert Gas Additive Manufacturing

Direct current (DC) and pulsed DC tungsten inert gas (TIG) additive manufacturing processes were employed to fabricate GH4169 high-temperature alloy specimens. Upon comparing and analysing the two additive manufacturing methods, the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of the additively manufactured specimens were discussed. It provided a useful reference for the engineering application of pulsed DC TIG technology. The results showed that the overall forming process of the specimen was relatively stable under the DC TIG additive manufacturing and pulsed DC TIG additive manufacturing processes. The aspect ratio of the deposited layer of the pulsed DC-deposited specimen was relatively low, and the deposited layer of the pulsed DC specimen became flatter, which was conducive to maintaining the stability of the molten pool during the deposition process and improving forming accuracy. The microstructure distribution of the deposited layer from bottom to top was relatively uneven, with columnar dendrites in the bottom layer, cellular crystals in the middle layer, and equiaxed crystals in the top layer. Compared with the DC TIG additive manufacturing of GH4169 high-temperature alloy specimens, the Laves phase of the pulsed DC specimens was significantly reduced, which improved the plasticity and brittleness of the material.