Delayed recrystallization behavior and deformation mechanism of IN738LC alloy prepared by laser powder bed fusion

The design and development of heat treatment regimes adapted to the laser powder bed fusion technology for specific service conditions have become a hot topic of research in the field of additive manufacturing. This paper systematically studies the microstructure changes of the L-PBFed IN738LC alloy, solution heat treated at 1250 °C for various durations (1 h, 3 h, 5 h) and then aged at 850 °C for 24 h. The delayed recrystallization behavior was revealed, and the selective precipitation pattern of the M23C6 carbide on different types of grain boundaries was discussed. Additionally, the tensile deformation mechanism of the alloy before and after heat treatment is clarified. The results indicate that grain boundary migration and transformation are impeded under 1250 °C/1 h conditions due to carbide particle pinning and solute atom segregation during the initial stage of solution treatment, which accounts for the delayed recrystallization behavior, and the microstructure is mainly undergoing recovery. At 1250 °C/5 h, M23C6 carbides selectively precipitate at twin boundaries, accompanied by recrystallization. The samples treated at 1250 °C/1 h exhibit the highest mechanical property (σYS=1305±21 MPa, σUTS=1462±11 MPa, εEL=5.4±0.7%) owing to the precipitation of γ′ phase and the presence of sub-grain boundaries. The deformation mechanism shows that the as-built samples mainly experience planar dislocations slipping, while the heat-treated samples undergo stacking faults shearing and anti-phase boundary shearing. The dominant mechanism among these is anti-phase boundary shearing.