The anisotropic wear and friction property of Inconel 718 superalloy fabricated by laser directed energy deposition

The effect of crystal orientation and heat treatment on microstructure and wear properties of Inconel 718 superalloy fabricated by laser directed energy deposition (LDED) were analyzed and compared with forged samples. Fully heat treated samples presented the lowest wear rate and better resistance to friction compared with other condition samples. The direct aging treated samples also had better wear resistance attributed to its microhardness and microstructure and were mainly abrasive wear with a large amount of wear debris and deeper scratches on the worn surface. As for the anisotropy of microstructure in LDED samples, the wear properties in different crystal orientations were different, and better wear performance was obtained in the section which is vertical to the deposition direction.