Metal Additive Manufacturing Conference 2018

Traditionally, blast deflectors have been manufactured using conventional, subtractive machining processes using large steel forgings. Since the final product has thin walls compared to the size, only a fraction of the original material block remains in the final product. Based on these observations, laser cladding as additive manufacturing method could potentially entail a significant cost reduction producing this component. From a sourcing perspective, the requirement to store generic powder instead of component specific metal billets is a definite advantage. Whether laser cladding is applicable for this specific design, is dependent on the mechanical properties and fatigue life of the material. This paper will investigate the mechanical properties and the fatigue life of laser cladded PH 15/5 samples, which all have been submitted to Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP). Specimens were produced with a thickness of 3 mm and manufactured into dog bone specimens. This will be the foundation for the analysis of the material properties. The evaluation will compare results with expected values from reference materials. Furthermore, a SN-curve will be derived from the fatigue test. This will be compared to available standards and literature.