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The selective laser melting of high temperature alloys is of great interest to the aerospace industry as it offers the prospect of producing more complex geometries than can be achieved with other manufacturing methods. In this study, the microstructure of the nickelbased superalloy, CM247LC, has been characterised following selective laser melting and after a post deposition heat-treatment below the γʹ solvus temperature. In the as-deposited state, scanning electron microscopy with electron backscatter diffraction revealed a fine, cellular microstructure with preferential alignment of <100> along the build direction. A high dislocation density was seen at the periphery of the cells, indicating substantial localised deformation of the material. Fine primary MC carbides were also observed in the inter-cellular regions. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy identified the occurrence of very fine γʹ precipitates, approximately 5 nm in diameter, dispersed within the gamma phase. After heat treatment, the elongated cell colonies were observed to partially coalesce, accompanied by a decrease in dislocation density, producing columnar grains along the build direction. Cuboidal γʹ precipitates approximately 500 nm in diameter were observed to form in the recrystallised grains, accompanied by larger γʹ precipitates on the grain boundaries.

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ALLVAC 718Plus is a new commercial superalloy derived from Inconel 718, but possessing a higher temperature capability whilst employing the same philosophy regarding the microstructure. Many articles have been published describing various heat treatments exploiting the precipitation of intermetallic phases at grain boundaries to optimize the mechanical properties over a range of testing conditions. The requirement to further improve the mechanical properties of this alloy drives our interest in the precipitation mechanism of the delta and eta phases found in this alloy. We report the presence of finely layered structures composed of two phases, delta and eta, with distinct structures and chemistries. Possible pathways to explain this precipitation in 718Plus are considered as follows: (i) the sequential formation of the delta from eta phase and (ii) the simultaneous precipitation of both eta and delta facilitated via solute rejection. Both can result in the formation of those small delta layers observed in HRSTEM. We discuss which is most likely by comparing the relative alignment of the phases by image processing and the analysis of the HRSTEM images, and propose formation mechanisms consistent with the distinctive dislocation structures observed at the interface.