Paul Paradise¹, Mandar Shinde¹, Sridhar Niverty¹, Dhruv Bhate¹, Nikhilesh Chawla¹; ¹Arizona State University

Among metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes, the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) is well regarded for its ability to realize fine feature resolution on the order of hundreds of microns. A challenge to the implementation of these fine features in critical, functional parts such as heat exchangers, however, is that the mechanical properties at these scales have been shown to be inferior to their bulk counterparts. In this work, we examine the underlying reasons for this debit by studying the effects of LPBF process parameters on porosity and microstructure, and its subsequent effect on quasi-static mechanical properties. We show in particular that the laser scan strategy has a crucial role in influencing these properties. Using a combination of process DOEs, white light interferometry, micro-CT scanning, EBSD and mechanical testing, we develop process-structure-property relationships specific for thin walls between 0.30 and 2mm, made out of Inconel 718 using the LPBF process.