Application of x-ray microCT in inclusion investigation for GH3536 part specimens manufactured by additive manufacturing

In this study, X-ray micro computed tomography (X-ray microCT) was utilized to study the qualities of GH3536 part specimens produced by additive manufacturing. The results showed that all the specimens had high density of inclusions. Based on the location of the inclusion within the specimen, one of the inclusion was exposed to the surface by grind. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the mostly spherical particles were embedded in the specimen, and the energy dispersive spectrum (EDS) revealed that the inclusion was tungsten particle. In order to find the root source of the inclusion, the powder specimen used for printing the part specimen was characterized, and it was found that the trace amount of tungsten inclusion found in GH3536 powder specimen can only be certified by X-ray microCT, while other commonly used method for powder characterization failed to detect the contaminant.