Effects of processing routes on room temperature tensile strength and elongation for Inconel 718

For oil and gas industrial applications, materials of deep downhole drilling components are required to possess tensile strength over 1400 MPa at room temperature. The present study demonstrates that processing design for Inconel 718 can widen the spectrum of its mechanical properties to meet the demand for ultra-high room temperature tensile strength. The range of room temperature tensile properties achieved in this study include tensile strength of 1785 MPa in one end of spectrum, and large tensile strain over 40% in the other end. Furthermore, a well-balanced tensile property of 1430 MPa with 18% tensile strain can be achieved by minimizing the formation of pre-aging 8 precipitates through direct aging process. The strengthening mechanisms and the trade-off between tensile strength and ductility have been investigated and discussed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.