Comparison of the Processability and Influence on the Microstructure of Different Starting Powder Blends for Laser Powder Bed Fusion of a Fe3.5Si1.5C Alloy

This paper examines different blends of starting materials for alloy development in the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. By using blends of individual elemental, ferroalloy and carbide powders instead of a pre-alloyed gas-atomized starting powder, elaborate gas-atomization processes for the production of individual starting powders with varying alloy compositions can be omitted. In this work the model alloy Fe3.5Si1.5C is produced by LPBF from different blends of pure elemental, binary and ternary powders. Three powder blends were processed. The base material for all powder blends is a commercial gas-atomized Fe powder. In the first blend this Fe powder is admixed with SiC, in the second with the ternary raw alloy FeSiC and in the third with FeSi and FeC. After characterizing the powder properties and performing LPBF parameter studies for each powder blend, the microstructures and the mechanical properties of the LPBF-manufactured samples were analyzed. Therefore, investigations were carried out by scanning electron microscopy, wave length dispersive x-ray spectroscopy and micro hardness testing. It was shown that the admixed SiC dissolves completely during LPBF. But the obtained microstructure consisting of bainite, martensite, ferrite and retained austenite is inhomogeneous. The use of the lower melting ferroalloys FeSi and FeC as well as the ternary ferroalloy FeSiC leads to an increased chemical homogeneity after LPBF-processing. However, the particle size of the used components plays a decisive role for the dissolution behavior in LPBF.

Automated summary

This study examines different blends of starting materials for alloy development in the LPBF process, showing that the admixed SiC dissolves completely during LPBF but results in an inhomogeneous microstructure. The use of lower melting ferroalloys FeSi and FeC, as well as the ternary ferroalloy FeSiC, improves chemical homogeneity after LPBF processing, with the particle size of the components playing a crucial role in dissolution behavior in LPBF.