Hot corrosion is one of the crucial failure modes of Ni-based superalloy components operating at high temperatures, which inevitably affects the subsequent mechanical properties of the alloys. In this research, damaged Inconel 718 alloy components with a pre-made trapezoid groove are repaired using laser additive manufacturing technique, and the change mechanisms of the microstructure and tensile properties of the repaired Inconel 718 alloy due to the hot corrosion in the salt mixture of 87.5 wt.% Na₂SO₄ + 5 wt.% NaCl + 7.5 wt.% NaNO₃ at 650 °C for different durations are investigated. The results show that oxidation and Cr-depletion occur on the repaired components due to the hot corrosion, and the corrosion products are mainly composed of Cr₂O₃, Fe₃O₄, and Ni₃S₂. The tensile strength and elongation of the as-repaired specimens are 736.6 MPa and 12.5%, respectively. After being hot corroded for 50 h, the tensile strength increases to 1022.9 MPa and elongation decreases to 1.7%. However, after being hot corroded for 150 h, both tensile strength and elongation of the repaired specimens drop to 955.8 MPa and 1.2%, respectively. The mechanical performance alteration is highly related to thermal effects instead of the molten salt attack.

This article addresses the knowledge gap regarding the effect of Ti addition on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of the LMD-processed GH3536 alloy in a simulated solution of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The microstructural evolution, corrosion resistance, and passive film characteristics of LMD-processed GH3536 alloy with varying Ti contents were characterized through a variety of techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a series of electrochemical measurements. The results indicate that the corrosion resistance of the LMD-processed GH3536 alloy significantly improves with increasing Ti content. However, when the Ti content exceeds 0.2 wt.%, the beneficial effect on corrosion resistance is weakened. Two primary mechanisms explain the enhanced corrosion resistance, involving the heterogeneous nucleation of Ti-modified Al₂O₃ and Ti solute segregation, which promotes grain refinement. In addition, grain refinement can provide more active sites for the formation of compact passive films, thereby improving corrosion resistance of the GH3536 alloy.