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The use of inoculants added to precursor powder is a method of influencing grain growth during fabrication. Niobium carbide (NbC) particles have been added to IN718 gas atomised powder for additive manufacturing via laser-blown-powder directed-energy-deposition (LBP-DED). The collected data in this study reveals the effects of the NbC particles on the grain structure, texture and elastic properties, and oxidative properties of LBP-DED IN718 in the As-DED and heat-treated conditions. The microstructure was investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was used to measure the elastic properties and phase transitions during standard heat treatments. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is used to probe the oxidative properties at 650°C.

The additive manufacturing (AM) of components through laser-blown-powder directed-energy-deposition (LBP-DED) is highly applicable to the repair of aerospace components. Fabrication of superalloys with this technique, as with other AM methods, often encounters complications that include the formation of undesired phases, irregular microstructure and texture leading to anisotropic elastic properties. Heat treatments and other post-processing techniques can be used to mitigate these issues. The collected data demonstrates the effects of different heat treatment protocols on the microstructure, elastic properties, and hardness of LBP-DED IN718. In this study eight different heat treatment were used to investigate the effects of treatment time and temperature. The microstructure was investigated through SEM, with XRD and EDX used for phase analysis. The texture was characterised using SEM coupled with EBSD and the elastic properties were determined from resonant ultrasound spectroscopy.