Friction and wear behaviour of Inconel 718 alloy fabricated by selective laser melting after heat treatments

The effect of heat treatments (solution and double aging) on friction and wear behaviour of Inconel 718 (IN718) alloy fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM) were studied. After heat treatment of solution and double aging, the friction and wear of the alloy have been improved. The worn surfaces of heat-treated IN718 alloy became smoother, and micro-ploughing became shallower. After solid solution hearting, a portion of the Laves phase ((Ni, Fe, Co)(2)(Nb, Ti, Mo)) dissolves into the matrix, after which the gamma '' phase (Ni3Nb) andthe equilibrium phase of the delta phase (Ni3Nb) precipitates during double ageing. After solution and double aging, nano-scale gamma ' (Ni-3(Al, Ti)) and gamma '' phases distribute homogeneously in the matrix, which improves the material hardness and wear resistance of the SLMed IN718 alloy.