Effect of Vanadium on the Solidification and Homogenization Behaviors in Inconel 718 Alloy

Effect of vanadium (V) on the solidification and homogenization behaviors in Inconel 718 alloy is investigated. V is observed to evenly distribute in dendritic and interdendritic zones, and slightly increase niobium (Nb) and molybdenum (Mo) segregation coefficients. However, Laves phase volume fraction reduces from 2.3 to 0.4%, indicating that V may effectively prevent the precipitation of Laves phase. Homogenization results show that diffusion coefficient of Nb is much higher in the V-containing alloy, and it takes fewer hours to remove Laves phase, which suggest that microalloying of V can be very helpful in ingots homogenization annealing of Inconel 718 alloy in industry production.