A synchrotron study of defect and strain inhomogeneity in laser-assisted three-dimensionally-printed Ni-based superalloy

Synchrotron X-ray microdiffraction was employed to investigate the inhomogeneous distribution of defect and residual strain in the transitional region between the dendritic and stray grains in a laser-assisted 3D printed Ni-based superalloy. The dendritic region was found to be under tensile strain transversely to the primary dendrite arm directions. The dendrite edges, where high level of strains and geometrically necessary dislocations were detected, were discerned as low angle grain boundaries. High angle grain boundaries were observed in the stray grain region, and the orientation of the strain tensor in this region varied dramatically at the micron scale, in contrast with the more or less homogeneous distribution in the dendritic region.