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Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and microstructural and microprobe measurements of DTA and as-cast Ni-Re alloys with compositions between 0.20 and 0.44 mass fraction Re provide information to resolve differences in previously published Ni-Re phase diagrams. This investigation determines that the peritectic invariant between liquid, Re-rich hexagonal close packed and Ni-rich face center cubic phases, L + HCP → FCC, occurs at 1561.1 °C ± 3.4 °C (1σ) with compositions of liquid, FCC and HCP phases of 0.283 ± 0.036, 0.436 ± 0.026, and 0.828 ± 0.037 mass fraction Re, respectively. Analysis of the microsegregation in FCC alloys yields a partition coefficient for solidification, k = 1.54 ± 0.09 (mass frac./mass frac.). A small deviation from Scheil behavior due to dendrite tip kinetics is documented in as-cast samples. No evidence of an intermetallic phase is observed.

This research evaluated the kinetics of δ-phase growth in laser powder bed additively-manufactured (AM) Inconel 625 during post-build stress-relief heat treatments. The temperatures ranged between 650°C and 1050°C, and the times from 0.25 to 168 hours. The presence of δ-phase was verified for each temperature/time combination through multiple techniques. A conventional time-temperature-transformation diagram was constructed from the time-temperature data. Comparison to the growth in wrought IN625 with a similar nominal composition revealed that δ-phase formation occurred at least two orders of magnitude faster in the AM IN625. The results of this study also revealed that the segregated microstructure in the as-built condition has a strong influence on the kinetics of δ-phase formation in AM IN625 as compared to a homogenized material. Since control of the δ-phase growth is essential for reliable prediction of the performance of IN625 components in service, avoiding heat treatments that promote the formation of δ-phase in AM components that are not homogenized is highly recommended. This will be particularly true at elevated temperatures where the microstructural stability and the consistency of mechanical properties are more likely to be affected by the presence of δ-phase.