Effect of iron addition on the precipitation behavior of CoNiCr alloys containing Nb

The effect of iron addition on the precipitation behavior of Co-Ni-Cr-Nb alloys is discussed. Iron addition changes the main precipitate from orthorhombic β-Ni₃Nb (Ni₃Cb) to BCTγ″-phase which is disc shaped and precipitates on {100} matrix planes. The growth ofγ″-precipitate follows the Lifshitz-Wagner theory of diffusion controlled growth. An attempt has been made to analyze the structure ofγ″ using the electronic considerations of the Engel-Brewer theory. On continued aging, metastableγ″ transforms to a stable β-phase on {111} matrix planes. The orientation relationship of this phase is similar to that observed in other alloys. In addition to intragranular precipitation, β=phase also precipitates at the grain boundaries and grows into the grains. The transformation ofγ″ into β-phase does not affect the hardness to any significant extent.