Effects of post heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of wire arc additively manufactured Hastelloy C276 alloy

Post-processing is often inevitable for most additively manufactured components in order to improve material properties and product quality. In this study, the influence of post-heat treatments (PHTs) at 871 °C and 1177 °C on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a nickel-base Hastelloy C276 alloy prepared using wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) were investigated. The results showed that after a PHT at 871 °C, the as-built alloy was strengthened due to the formation of a large amount of Mo-rich nano-sized μ phase in the interdendritic areas. This was at the expense of a significant ductility loss. In contrast, no μ phase precipitates were observed after PHT at 1177 °C. Furthermore, the 1177 °C treatment led to the dissolution of the Mo-rich p phase which was present in the as-built sample, increased solid-solution strengthening, and improvements in both strength and ductility concurrently. This study enables an improved understanding of post-processing-microstructure-property inter-relationships for Hastelloy C276 alloy prepared by WAAM, providing guidelines for further microstructure optimization through PHT to improve the material\u27s mechanical properties