Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology which offers unparalleled adaptability, flexibility, synthesizing materials, production of intricate components, weight reduction, and potential cost and time reductions. No wonder it was implemented in the aerospace industry. The use of materials capable of with standing high temperatures is a requirement in selecting materials that work in a turbine, for example, Haynes® 282® (H282) superalloy.

Current AM processes are not free of defects, many include porosity, unwanted precipitatesor inclusions, composition deviation, lack of fusions (LoF) and cracks, caused by the rapid solidification inherent to the AM processes. The layer-by-layer process of additive manufacturing creates a unique thermal history that involves rapid heating and cooling, leading to significant thermal gradients in the melt pools.

This research explored the crack susceptibility of as-built H282 alloy under similar conditions/parameters encountered during Laser beam direct energy deposition wire (LB-DEDw) additive manufacturing.

The study used three criteria to determine crack susceptibility: reduction in area, true fracture strength and true ductility strength, and the strain energy concept. The convergence of these criteria provided a comprehensive understanding of crack formation behaviour in H282 during the LB-DED-w process.

The three criteria work as a suitable approach to determine the crack susceptibility of the as-built H282 based on the use of the Hot ductility test (HDT), as each criterion complements the other.

The results reveal that H282 when it was built by LB-DED-w process at temperatures from 750°C to 850°C and from 1150°C to 1250°C has a drop in ductility and, therefore is more susceptible to crack formation.