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PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MICROSTRUCTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF INCONEL ALLOY UNDER WELDED AND UNWELDED CONDITIONS

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This work focusses on analysing mechanical properties and microscopic assessment into Inconel-718 plates in welded and unwelded conditions. Welding was performed by tungsten inert gas welding technique. Two mechanical tests such as tensile test and hardness were performed on both the types of plates to compare the properties of welded joint and unwelded plate. Although Inconel 718 possesses good weldability, the strength, ductility, and hardness of welded joint were reported lesser than these of Unwelded plate. The microstructural images revealed that metal carbides present in Inconel plate had reduced after welding. The ultimate tensile stress and elongation before breaking of welded joint were 16% and 72% lower than Unwelded plate. The fractography analysis of the ruptured part revealed that Unwelded plate possessed higher ductility than welded plate.
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ACTA METALLURGICA SLOVACA
2023, VOL. 29, NO. 1, 5-9
5
DOI: 10.36547/ams.29.1.1664
RESEARCH PAPER
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION INTO MECHANICAL PROPERTIES AND MI-
CROSTRUCTURAL BEHAVIOUR OF INCONEL ALLOY UNDER WELDED AND
UNWELDED CONDITIONS
Saurabh Dewangan1, Sharath Narayanan1, Gurbaaz Singh Gill1, Utkarsh Chadha2
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Pin-303007
2 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, School of Gradu-
ate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario ON, Canada
*Corresponding author: gurbaaz.199402071@muj.manipal.edu, tel.: 0141-3999100-838, Manipal university Jaipur,
303007, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Received: 20.12.2022
Accepted: 11.01.2023
ABSTRACT
This work focusses on analyzing mechanical properties and microscopic assessment into Inconel-718 plates in welded and unwelded
conditions. Welding was performed by tungsten inert gas welding technique. Two mechanical tests such as tensile test and hardness
were performed on both the types of plates to compare the properties of welded joint and unwelded plate. Although Inconel 718
possesses good weldability, the strength, ductility, and hardness of welded joint were reported lesser than these of Unwelded plate.
The microstructural images revealed that metal carbides present in Inconel plate had reduced after welding. The ultimate tensile stress
and elongation before breaking of welded joint were 16% and 72% lower than Unwelded plate. The fractography analysis of the
ruptured part revealed that Unwelded plate possessed higher ductility than welded plate.
Keywords: 718-Inconel alloy; welding; Tensile test; Hardness; Microstructure; Fractography
INTRODUCTION
Nickel-based super alloy is widely being used in various indus-
try. These super alloys have certain advanced properties which
are required to provide strength to machine parts in aerospace,
chemical, marine, and automobiles. Nickel-based alloys are also
utilized because of their high chemical, mechanical and thermal
stability. Due to possessing good strength and temperature re-
sistance, approximately 50% machine parts including compres-
sor casing, discs, and fan blades of turbojet engines are made by
Inconel 718 [1]. The high-strength super alloy Inconel 718 (also
known as Alloy 718) has a nickel-chrome basis that makes it
corrosion-resistant, high pressure- and temperature-resistant up
to 700°C. The substance contains trace quantities of Mo, Ti, Co,
Al, Cu, Mn, Si, and others. This alloy mainly imparts Ni (45-
55%), Cr (15-20%), Nb (4-5%), and a little amount of Ta (tan-
talum) [2]. This nickel alloy resists spalling, break off into frag-
ments, during temperature fluctuations. This occurs due to the
development of a strong and tight oxide scale on the surface.
Although Inconel 718 may be manufactured using techniques
like electric discharge machining (EDM), laser beam machining
(LBM), and other methods where stresses are created during ma-
chining, it is a tough alloy to cut and has a wide variety of uses
[3].
This alloy's distinctive microstructure, which is made up of pre-
cipitates, γʺ, γ´, δ, carbides, and a γ-matrix, contributes to its ad-
vanced characteristics. The γ-matrix, which has FCC crystal
structure, possesses a mixture of alloying elements like Cr, Mo,
and Fe in Ni. The metastable phase of Ni3Nb, gamma double
prime (γʺ), features a tetragonal space-centered crystal structure.
It is a phase which provides larger amount of strength to Inconel
718. It is usually 15-20% (by volume) of the total structure vol-
ume. Gamma double primes undergo a transformation to the sta-
ble phase when exposed to high temperatures over an extended
period of time. The stable form of Ni3Nb is recognized as δ-
phase. It contains orthorhombic crystal structure. The high
amount of δ-phase is not desirable until it precipitates at the
grain boundaries. It acts as barrier for grain expansion and im-
proves the mechanical characteristics. Due to the tiny volume of
γ´ phase in the microstructure of Inconel 718, it has a negligible
impact on the alloy's characteristics. The change of the γʺ phase
into the δ phase, which occurs at high temperatures (above
700°C) and after sufficiently lengthy exposure, establishes the
maximum temperature limit for Inconel 718's working state [4,
5]. A number of research works have been carried out with In-
conel 718 metal which includes the observation of fatigue
strength, microstructure, welding, heat treating etc. Some of the
previous literatures have been separately discussion in literature
review section.
In this work, a comparative assessment between welded and un-
welded Inconel 718 alloy plates has been carried out on the basis
of tensile test and hardness test results. The changes in micro-
scopic level have been observed through optical microscopy
(OM) and field emission scanning electron microscope
(FESEM).
LITERATURE REVIEW
Inconel alloy has been investigated under many physical condi-
tions- like welded condition, additive manufactured, thin film,
high temperature applications, etc. Some of the previous works
have been discussed comprehensively. In a work, Inconel 625
S. Dewangan et al. in Acta Metallurgica Slovaca
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DOI: 10.36547/ams.29.1.1664
alloy was manufactured by using wire-arc based additive manu-
facturing (WAAM). Based on that, microstructure and physical
attributes of the fabricated product have been analysed. The bot-
tom layer of the alloy contained primary cellular grains. With an
increase in wire-arc speed, the hardness of the alloy was found
to increase. Similarly, ultimate tensile strength and yield
strength were also got improved by additive manufacturing [6].
In a work by White et al. (2017), Inconel 625 was manufactured
by selective laser melting (SLM) and then heat treated. As a re-
sult, a fine dendritic microstructure with strong texture was
formed due to rapid cooling of the layers. Moreover, the -ma-
trix was enriched with high dislocation density and good micro-
hardness [7]. The welded joint between Inconel 625 and 16Mo3
steel was analysed in a work. The analysis was mainly focused
on microstructural changes and chemical stability of the joint af-
ter annealing. After annealing for 10 hours at 600 to 1000°C, a
strong grain orientation was reported in the joint which further
enhanced the hardness of the surface [8]. The influence of heat
input during TIG welding of Inconel-718 on strength and micro-
structure of the joints have been analysed by Jose and Anand. It
was noticed that the joints made by low heat input possessed
higher strength. Also, there was a reduction in grain size with a
decrement in heat input [3]. The mixture of three oxides i.e.,
Cr2O3, FeO, and MoO3 was used as flux in TIG welding of In-
conel 718 superalloy to check the effect on weldability, pool
temperature, bead geometry, and strength of the joint. strength.
As compared to conventional TIG welding, the modified version
of welding process has increased the penetration by nearly
200%. Also, the hardness and strength of the joint was reported
as better than the conventional one [9]. Because of carrying high
strength at elevated temperature, Inconel 800H is used in aero-
space industries. The effect of TIG welding on 800H alloy has
been investigated. Both, pre-heat treated, and post-heat-treated
conditions gave a good mechanical property. Post-weld heat
treatment has been proved as a successful approach in Inconel
welding [10]. Levin et al. (1997) investigated the wrought In-
conel-625 alloy's high strain rate deformation behaviour and
room temperature erosion behaviour. The steady state erosion
rate was assessed to ascertain erosion resistance. After the ero-
sion testing, microhardness tests were conducted, and substan-
tial plastic deformation was seen close to the eroded surfaces.
The mechanical characteristics were evaluated in the presence
of high strain rate at elevated temperatures of 400°C-600°C. The
erosion resistance was connected with high strain rate toughness
and microhardness at the degraded surfaces [11]. The qualities
of the final material are influenced by the thermal history that
the additive manufacturing process generates. Although there
are correlations between the rate of solidification and the final
microstructure, the solidification rate alone cannot predict the
final microstructure and consequently mechanical characteris-
tics. The goal of the work of Bennetta et al. (2018) is to establish
a connection between the produced material's final ultimate ten-
sile strength and the combined impacts of cooling time as well
as solidification time. It was determined how the construction
geometry and final tensile strength of the location of interest
compared to its thermal histories. The cooling time had a reverse
effect on the distance of the point of observation from the sub-
strate. Additionally, a pattern was seen connecting higher sur-
face temperatures and longer solidification times. Coarse micro-
structures were the results of long cooling and solidification du-
ration, which may be the reason of the lower observed tensile
strengths, according to optical microscope photographs of the
build microstructure [12].
The work of Brynk et al. (2017) is focussed on assessment of
fatigue crack growth rate and tensile tests into Inconel 718 fab-
ricated by Selective Laser Melting method in original form and
with Re-addition. The laser melting technique produces comb
like layer-by-layer formation. A portion of the sample under-
went the typical heat treatment process intended for Inconel 718
alloy. On the tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation to
fracture, the effects of sample size, orientation to the laser beam
direction, and heat treatment were examined. Good results were
obtained for both types of samples [13]. In a work, selective la-
ser melting technique was used to fabricate Inconel 718 cylin-
ders. The fabricated cylinder showed columnar grains and arrays
of body centered tetragonal Ni3Nb oblate. Due to which the
hardness and tensile strength of fabricated sample were found
comparable with wrought alloy [14]. The elevated temperature
properties of Inconel 625 were examined by Oliveira et al.
(2019). Tensile tests were conducted with strain rates of 2×10-4
to 2×10-3 s-1 at temperatures ranging from ambient temperature
to 1000 C. The creep experiments were conducted in a continu-
ous load mode at temperatures between 600 and 700 °C and
stresses between 500 and 600 MPa. For observing surface frac-
tures, optical and scanning electron microscopes were utilised.
The dynamic strain ageing effect was connected to the serrated
stress-strain behaviours seen in the curves obtained between 200
and 700 C. As a function of test temperature, the yield strength
and the elongation values exhibit aberrant behaviour. A speci-
men that was tensile tested at 500°C showed intergranular crack-
ing, which can be ascribed to the carbides at the grain boundaries
losing cohesiveness. The specimen's fracture surface revealed a
prevalence of trans granular cracking with tear dimples that had
a parabolic form during the 700°C tensile test [15]. The mechan-
ical properties of fine-grained Inconel 718 ring, fabricated by
forging method, was reported as high. The toughness is reached
up to 100 J. Also, the maximum stress for 107 fatigue cycles is
about 620 MPa [16]. Other than 718 grade, Inconel 625 was also
investigated under various experimental conditions. In a work
718 and 625 were welded by laser beam and fracture toughness
of the joint was calculated. Both the alloys had shown similar
behavior in ductile crack growth analysis. The fusion zone and
heat affected one had shown comparatively lower value of frac-
ture toughness than that of base metal zone [5]. Inconel 625 was
also used as a source rod of TIG welding of ductile cast iron.
Also, an electrode with 97.6% Ni constituent was used in weld-
ing. As a result, it was found that carbide formation had been
restricted through this approach. By subsequent heating at
900◦C, all carbides were reported to get dissolved into ferrite
matrix as graphite [17]. Inconel 625 was welded with 16Mo3 for
nanoindentation analysis of welded layer and of the transition
between these two metals. An improved nano-hardness and a re-
duced elastic modulus were reported at transition zone [18]. The
residual stress formed at the welded joints of Inconel 625 alloy
was studied through experimentation and simulation methods.
Both the XRD technique and ANSYS numerical code showed a
close relationship of results [19]. Inconel alloy had been success-
fully welded with titanium alloy by laser beam welding. A good
amount of fatigue strength was observed in the welded joint of
dissimilar metals. These types of joints are usually required in
oil and gas industries [20].
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Three nos. of Inconel-718 plates of dimension 100×50×3 mm
each were taken for further analysis. One plate was kept as it is
i.e., in un-welded condition. Remaining two plates were welded
in butt configuration by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding tech-
nique. The voltage and current selection for welding were 25V
and 110A respectively. A filler wire of 1.5 mm diameter was
applied during welding. Direct current electrode negative con-
figuration was used for welding. The inert gas atmosphere of ar-
gon (Ar ≈ 99%) gas was supplied during welding operation.
Fig. 1 is showing the schematic of plate selection and welded
S. Dewangan et al. in Acta Metallurgica Slovaca
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DOI: 10.36547/ams.29.1.1664
joint. After welding, two sets of plates were collected- (1) The
plate with no welding and (2) The welded plate.
The goal is to examine the strength, hardness, and microstruc-
ture of the welded plates so that a comparative assessment could
be done with another plate which is in unwelded condition.
Fig. 1 Schematic of plate size selection for further processing
Fabrication of tension test specimen: Both plates
were cut with a wire EDM to produce specimens of the
size required for tensile testing. The work produced test
specifications according to the ASTM-E8 standard.
The specimens are shown in Fig 2. The tensile test was
conducted on Universal Testing Machine (UTM) with
a strain rate of 0.00015 s-1.
Fig. 2 Tensile test specimens- before and after tension test
Hardness test procedure: The hardness of the speci-
men was measured through Brinell hardness tester. A
common load of 187.5 kgf was applied on both the
plates by using ball diameter of 2.5 mm. The cross-sec-
tional surfaces of both the plates were finished properly
so that unevenness could be avoided during indenta-
tion.
Microscopic analysis: As a result of welding, the In-
conel plate might have undergone through structural
changes, it will be predicted by microstructural analysis
through optical microscope. The cross-sectional sur-
faces of the specimens were used to observe the micro-
structural variation, if any. The desired surfaces were
super finished by using various grades of sandpapers
with grit sizes of 500, 100, 1500, 2000, and 2500. Su-
perfinishing operation was done through a polishing
machine. Finally, the polished surfaces were etched us-
ing HNO3+HCl+H2O2+H2O etchant, and then they
were examined through optical microscope. The im-
ages were captured at 200× magnification.
RESULT ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Tensile test results: After conducting tensile test in
both the samples, the stress-strain curves for the two
specimens are provided in Fig. 3 (a, b). The dimen-
sional details of specimens are also written in Fig. 3.
The corresponding values of Ultimate tensile stress,
yield stress and elongation values shown in Fig. 3 itself.
As it can be seen from Fig, the ultimate tensile stress
(UTS) and yield stress (YS) of Unwelded specimen are
894 MPa and 551 MPa respectively with 47% of elon-
gation till failure.
Fig. 3 Tensile test results of (a) Unwelded specimen; (b) Welded
specimen.
The welded specimen showed UTS, and YS of 447 MPa, and
373 MPa respectively (Fig. 3b). These values are almost half of
the Un-welded specimen. The elongation shown by welded
specimen is 72% lower than that of un-welded specimen. The
broken samples of both the specimens are quite different in ap-
pearance. The un-welded specimen showed a longer extension
than welded one. There might be two possibilities of lesser
strength and ductility of the welded joint: first, there is a huge
possibility of welding defects in the welded joint which may
cause a substantial reduction in strength as well as ductility. Sec-
ond, the metal carbides (TiC) have disappeared in welded joint
resulting in poor strength.
Hardness test results: The results obtained by Brinell
hardness test are given in Table 1.
S. Dewangan et al. in Acta Metallurgica Slovaca
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DOI: 10.36547/ams.29.1.1664
Table 1 Hardness test results
Plates
Test value (BHN)
Un-welded
255
Welded
Base metal = 252, 240, 245 (Avg =
245)
Heat affected zone = 251, 240, 256
(Avg = 249)
Welded Joint = 237, 232, 230 (Avg =
233)
As per the results obtained, the hardness of unwelded specimen
is 255 BHN. There are three different hardness values in welded
plate. The hardness at parent (base) metal part, HAZ (heat af-
fected zone) and fusion zone is 245, 249, 233 BHN respectively.
The welded joint possesses almost 9% lesser hardness than Un-
welded plate. The most probable reason behind the reduction in
hardness might be improper mixing of the metal at fusion zone.
Microstructural test results: As discussed above, the
microscopic images were obtained by optical micro-
scope. The model’s name of the microscope is L-2003
A. The images for unwelded and welded plates are pre-
sented in Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 respectively. Mainly three
different observations were made in this study. (1) γ-
matrix; (2) MC carbide- a dark appearance in γ-matrix;
(3) TiC boundaries (black in color). In both the images,
the black colored TiC boundary could be properly seen.
But the amount of MC carbides dispersed throughout
the γ-matrix matrix is different. There is high amount
of MC carbides in Unwelded plate whereas the welded
joint imparts very less amount of it. This is the reason
why the hardness of the unwelded plate becomes higher
than the welded plate.
Fig. 4 Microstructure of Un-welded plate
Fig. 5 Microstructure of Welded plate
Fractography analysis: Fractographic examination
was performed on the fractured tensile test samples. In
order to determine the kind of failurebrittle or duc-
tilethe specimen's broken surface was studied using
FESEM. Unwelded and welded samples' fractographic
images are depicted in Figs. 6 and 7, respectively. An
enormous number of pores were found in the unwelded
sample. Numerous micro-dimples are another sign of
ductile fracture in addition to this. The welded sample
has facets without noticeable pores, however certain
micro-dimple zones have been observed. The fractog-
raphy picture of the welded sample serves as evidence
that the specimen is brittle in nature.
Fig. 6 Fractography image of unwelded specimen
Fig. 7 Fractography image of welded specimen
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
For making a good quality welded joint in any metal, the surface
must be properly clean and finished otherwise the problem of
impurity inclusion may happen in the fusion zone. Also, the
cooling rate plays an important role in deciding the final proper-
ties of welded joint. The properties like tensile strength [21],
hardness [22] and fatigue strength [23, 24] are highly affected
by the cooling rate.
In this work, metallographic analysis of welded and Unwelded
plates of Inconel alloy plates has been carried out. The following
conclusion can be made based on experimental work:
Inconel possesses a good weldability as far as similar
metal joint is concerned.
The Ultimate tensile strength of Inconel 718 alloy was
reported as 894 MPa whereas the welded joint has
showed a reduction of 16% in UTS.
The yield stress of the welded joint (465.72 MPa) is com-
parable with unwelded specimen (551.21 MPa), alt-
hough the joint has a reduction of 15% in yield stress.
The elongation reported by welded sample is almost
72% lesser than unwelded one, means there is a high
chance of poor welding with defects.
Hardness values showed that unwelded plate has 9%
higher hardness than welded plate.
The Unwelded or pure plate was possessing high amount
of MC carbides dispersed throughout the fine gamma-
S. Dewangan et al. in Acta Metallurgica Slovaca
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DOI: 10.36547/ams.29.1.1664
matrix whereas lesser amount of MC carbide and TiC
particles were reported in welded plate. It is the reason
why hardness of the welded joint became less.
Fractography analysis proves that unwelded specimen is
more ductile than welded one because the latter one con-
sists of facets with no considerable amounts of pores and
dimples.
The present work has been conducted with a smaller number of
samples. There might be possibilities of weld-defects in the fu-
sion zone. Hence, a large number of samples can be taken to
reach up to more accurate results.
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... For super-alloys, the application of high heat at the welded zone and the heat-affected zone can segregate the elements and that is the main reason for the reduction in corrosion resistance properties [19]. As compared to the unwelded plate, the welded plate of Inconel alloy was reported to possess lesser strength and ductility due to carbide segregation [20]. ...
... There is no sign of brittle fracturing. The macro-and microdimples [16] were observed in all the samples, although the valley formation [20] and shallow hole can be observed in the IN-IN sample predominantly. ...
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