Formation of Nb-rich droplets in laser deposited Ni-matrix microstructures

Ni-rich $\gamma$ cells and Nb-rich eutectic droplets that form during laser power bed fusion solidification of Ni-Nb alloys are studied using experiments and simulations. Finite element simulations estimate the cooling rates in the melt pool and phase-field simulations predict the resulting cellular microstructures. The cell and droplet spacings are determined as a function of cooling rate and fit to a power law. The formation of Laves phase is predicted for a critical composition of Nb in the liquid droplets. Finally, our simulations demonstrate that anisotropy in the $\gamma$ orientation influences the Laves fraction significantly.