How rapid heating and quenching cycles affect phase evolution in advanced γ-TiAl alloys: An in situ synchrotron radiation study

Abstract Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are increasingly considered as an alternative manufacturing route to produce complex aircraft components out of γ-TiAl-based alloys. Due to the process-related high and short-time energy input, extremely fast heating and cooling rates occur which can result in thermodynamic and chemical disequilibrium. We studied the effect of rapid heating and quenching cycles in a Ti–48Al–2Nb–2Cr (in at.%) alloy by carrying out in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction experiments in which AM-related heating cycles were simulated. These in situ experiments allow to determine the influence of cooling rate and a chosen powder bed temperature on phase evolution. Graphical abstract