Yttrium’s Effect on the Hot Cracking and Creep Properties of a Ni-Based Superalloy Built Up by Additive Manufacturing

We studied the effects of the rare earth element yttrium (Y) on the hot cracking and creep properties of Hastelloy-X processed by selective laser melting. We used two different alloys to study hot cracking in Hastelloy-X: one with 0.12 mass% yttrium added and one with no yttrium. Y-free Hastelloy-X exhibited less cracks, mainly due to the segregation of Si, W, and C resulting in SiC- and W6C-type carbides at the grain boundary and interdendritic regions. On the other hand, more cracks formed in the Y-added Hastelloy-X specimen because of segregation of Y, resulting in the formation of yttrium-rich carbide (YC). Post-heat treatment was conducted at 1177 °C for 2 h, followed by air cooling, to obtain good creep properties. We carried out a creep test along the vertical and horizontal directions. Despite having more cracks, the Y-added as-built Hastelloy-X specimen showed longer creep life and ductility than the Hastelloy-X specimen. This was mainly because of the formation of Y2O3 and SiO2 inside the grains. After solution treatment, the Y-added specimen’s creep life was eight times longer than that of the Y-free solution-treated specimen. This was mainly because of the maintenance of the columnar grain morphology even after solution treatment. In addition, the formation of M6C carbides, Y2O3, and SiO2 improved creep life. To summarize the effect of Y, Y addition promoted the formation of cracks, which brought about creep anisotropy; however, it improved creep properties through the stabilization of oxygen and the promotion of discrete carbide precipitation, which prohibited the migration and sliding of grain boundary.