A comparative study of electric current-assisted and conventional sintering of Inconel 718 superalloy

In this study, In718 powder mixtures prepared from elemental powders following stoichiometric composition and supplied as a commercial product were produced by conventional powder metallurgy (1300 °C/4 h) and electric current-assisted sintering (ECAS)(1700-2300A/10 min) methods and followed by a double-aging heat treatment. The characterization studies determined that the best results were the sample produced by the ECAS method using the elemental powder mixture. The targeted precipitate γ′, γ″, and δ phases were obtained after the heat treatment, and a hardness value of 344 ± 41 HV_0.5 and a relative density of 98.96% were achieved. The sample preserved its surface integrity by exhibiting high corrosion resistance from hot corrosion studies in the temperature range of 650–850 °C and NaSO₄ + 60%V₂O₅ environment. The corrosion rate of the sample, which was subjected to electrochemical corrosion tests in 3.5% NaCl and 10% NaNO₃ solutions, was determined as 45.59 mpy and 10.56 mpy, respectively.