Currently, additive manufacturing (AM) experiences significant attention in nearly all industrial sectors. AM is already well established in fields such as medicine or spare part production. Nevertheless, processing of high-performance nickel-based superalloys and especially single crystalline alloys such as CMSX-4 Ò is challenging due to the difficulty of intense crack formation. Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) takes place at high process temperatures (~1000°C) and under vacuum conditions. Current work has demonstrated processing of CMSX-4 Ò without crack formation. In addition, by using appropriate AM scan strategies, even single crystals (SX SEBM CMSX-4 Ò ) develop directly from the powder bed. In this contribution, we investigate the mechanical properties of SX SEBM CMSX-4 Ò prepared by SEBM in the as-built condition and after heat treatment. The focus is on hardness, strength, low cycle fatigue, and creep properties. These properties are compared with conventional cast and heat-treated material.

The mechanical behaviour of thermal barrier coatings in operation holds the key to understanding durability of jet engine turbine blades. Here we report the results from experiments that monitor strains in the layers of a coating subjected to thermal gradients and mechanical loads representing extreme engine environments. Hollow cylindrical specimens, with electron beam physical vapour deposited coatings, were tested with internal cooling and external heating under various controlled conditions. High-energy synchrotron X-ray measurements captured the in situ strain response through the depth of each layer, revealing the link between these conditions and the evolution of local strains. Results of this study demonstrate that variations in these conditions create corresponding trends in depth-resolved strains with the largest effects displayed at or near the interface with the bond coat. With larger temperature drops across the coating, significant strain gradients are seen, which can contribute to failure modes occurring within the layer adjacent to the interface.

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