Fatigue crack propagation in two classes of directionally solidified eutectic alloys

Fatigue crack propagation rates were measured in two classes of directionally solidified eutectic alloys under isothermal, stress-controlled cycling at temperatures of 298 to 1311 K. Alloy 73C, a cobalt-base material reinforced by fibers of Cr₇C₃, and γ/γ′ + δ, a nickel-base alloy reinforced by lamellae (platelets) of Ni₃Cb, were grown at solidification rates of 1 and 25 cm/h to achieve significant differences in interfiber and interlamellar spacing (λ). No influence of the spacing of the reinforcing phase on crack growth rates were found for either alloy. In addition, chromium level and perfection of the microstructure had a minimal effect on propagation rates for γ/γ′ + δ. The independence of the fatigue crack growth rates on λ may be associated with the ratio of the cyclic plastic zone diameter at the crack tip to λ. In all instances, this ratio was estimated to be greater than one for the test conditions employed. At the lower temperatures, crack propagation rates in γ/γ′ + δ were up to two orders of magnitude lower than those in Alloy 73C due to crack deflection at interlamellar interfaces and grain boundaries which lowered the effective stress intensity range for opening mode cracking. Formerly of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft     

Deformation of semi-solid Sn-15 Pct Pb alloy

The rheological behavior of semisolid Sn-15 pct Pb alloy was studied using a parallel-plate viscometer. Small nondendritic and dendritic semisolid samples of the alloy were deformed under a constant load at initial pressures up to 232 kPa (33.6 psi) and at fractions solid from 0.15 to 0.60. Strain-time data for the nondendritic material obey the non-Newtonian, two-parameter, Ostwald-de-Waele, power-law model,i.e. μ = mγ ⁿ⁻¹, where μ is viscosity γ shear rate andm andn are constants. For fractions solid above about 0.30, the following empirical equation relates viscosity, shear rate and fraction solidμ = a exp (bf_s) γ^(cf _s ^+d) 0.3 <f _s < 0.60 wheref _s is fraction solid anda, b, c, d are constants. The nondendritic alloy deformed homogeneously without cracking to very large strains (up to 80 pct). Dendritic alloys required much higher loads and cracked easily. For the nondendritic alloys the forging pressures to obtain 50 pct compression were of the order of 7 to 70 kPa (1 to 10 psi) for fractions solid under 0.55 and 172.5 to 207 kPa (25 to 30 psi) for fraction solid of about 0.60. For the dendritic alloys, the forging pressure required to achieve 10 pct compression is about 85 kPa at a fraction solid of 0.35 and increases rapidly with increasing fraction solid.     

Design and development of hot corrosion-resistant

A systematic study of the effects of refractory metals Ti, Ta, and Nb on the microstructures and properties was conducted with a hot corrosion-resistant alloy system Ni-16Cr-9Al-4Co-2W-lMo-(0~4)Ti-(0~4)Ta-(0~4)Nb (in atomic percent) which was selected based on thed-electrons alloy design theory and some basic considerations in alloying features of single-crystal nickel-base superalloys. The contour lines of solidification reaction temperatures and eutectic (γ + γ′) volume fraction in the Ti-Ta-Nb compositional triangle were determined by differential thermal analysis (DTA) and imaging analyzer. Compared with the reference alloy IN738LC, in most of the compositional ranges studied, the designed alloys show very low amounts of eutectic (γ + γ′) (⪯0.4 vol pct), narrow solidification ranges (⪯65 °C), and wide “heat-treatment windows” (>100 °C). This indicates that the alloys should have the promising microstructural stability, single-crystal castability, and be easier for complete solution treatment. In a wide compositional range, the designed alloys showed good hot corrosion resistance (weight loss less than 20 mg/cm² after 24 hours kept in molten salt at 900 °C). By summarizing the results, the promising alloy compositional ranges of the alloys with balanced properties were determined for the final step of the alloy design,i.e., to grow single crystal and characterize mechanical properties of the alloys selected from the previously mentioned regions. Formerly with the Institute of Metal Research, Academia Sinica, Shenyang 110015, China     

Analysis of steady-state creep and creep fracture of directionally solidified eutectic γ/γ′-α alloy

The steady-state creep behavior of directionally solidified eutectic alloy Ni-30Mo-6Al-l.6V-l.2Re (wt pct) was investigated at temperatures between 1223 and 1323 K using constant strain rate tension creep tests. The steady-state stress is found to depend strongly on creep rate and temperature. The apparent power law stress exponent for steady-state stress isn = 7.5 ± 0.3, and the apparent activation energy for creep of the eutectic γ/γ′-α composite is determined to beQ = 517 ± 11 kJ mol₋₁. When the steady-state creep is analyzed in terms of the effective stress and normalized with respect to the temperature dependence of the elastic modulus, the corrected activation energy for creepQ _c is calculated to be between 412 and 424 kJ mol₋₁ and the stress exponent between 5.7 and 6.0. The kinetics of the steady-state creep deformation within the studied temperature range involves the contribution of both the fibers and the matrix which creep during steady-state. Analysis of the fracture surfaces of the composite shows ductile fracture mode. The composite fails by growth and coalescence of microvoids in the matrix and by fiber fragmentation.     

A Comparative Study of the γ/γ′ Eutectic Evolution During the Solidification of Ni-Base Superalloys

The evolution of γ/γ′ eutectic during the solidification of Ni-base superalloys CMSX-10 and CMSX-4 was investigated over a wide range of cooling rates. The microsegregation behavior during solidification was also quantitatively examined to clarify the influence of elemental segregation on the evolution of γ/γ′ eutectic. In the cooling rate ranges investigated (0.9 to 138.4 K/min (0.9 to 138.4 °C/min)), the γ/γ′ eutectic fraction in CMSX-10 was found to be more than 2 times higher than that in CMSX-4 at a given cooling rate. However, the dependence of the γ/γ′ eutectic fraction on the cooling rate in both alloys showed a similar tendency; i.e., the γ/γ′ eutectic fraction increased with increasing the cooling rate and then exhibited a maximum plateau at and above the certain critical cooling rate in both alloys. This critical cooling rate was found to be dependent on the alloy composition and was estimated to be about 12 K/min (12 °C/min) and 25 K/min (25 °C/min) for CMSX-10 and CMSX-4, respectively. The calculated solid compositions based on the modified Scheil model revealed that even a small compositional difference of total γ′ forming elements in the initial composition of the alloy can play a significant role in the as-cast eutectic fraction during the solidification of Ni-base superalloys. The evolution of the γ/γ′ eutectic fraction with respect to the cooling rate could be rationalized by taking into account the effects of back-diffusion in solid and dendrite arm coarsening on decreasing the extent of microsegregation.     

Influence of rare-earth metals on the high-temperature strength of Ni<Subscript>3</Subscript>Al-based alloys

The influence of the content of reaction- and surface-active alloying elements (rare-earth metals (REMs)) and the method of their introduction into cast high-temperature γ′-Ni₃Al-based intermetallic alloys, which are thermally stable natural eutectic composites, on their structure-phase state and the mechanical properties is studied. The life of low-alloy heterophase γ′ + γ cast high-temperature light Ni₃Al-based alloys is shown can be increased at temperatures exceeding 0.8T _m (T _m is the melting temperature of Ni3Al) due to additional stabilization of the single-crystal structure of these alloys with submicron and nanometer-sized particles of the phases formed by refractory and active REMs. It is also shown that stage-by-stage fractional introduction of all components into alloys during vacuum induction melting with allowance for their reaction activities (most refractory metals are introduced in the form of low-melting-point master alloys at the first stage of vacuum induction melting, and lanthanum is introduced with a master alloy in the optimal contents of 0.1–2 wt % into the charge of VKNA-1V and VKNA-25 alloys at the final stage) leads to the formation of a modified structure stabilized by nanoprecipitates of nickel and aluminum lanthanides and the phases formed by refractory metals. This method increases the life of VKNV-1V-type alloys (0.5 wt % Re) at 1000–1200°C by a factor of ∼1.7 and that of VKNA-25-type alloys (1.2 wt % Re and Co) by a factor of ∼3.     

Determination of the elastic moduli of a directionally solidified nickel-based TaC eutectic

Measurements of ultrasonic wave velocities in a polycrystalline directionally solidified nickel based eutectic alloy are used to evaluate the three independent single crystal elastic moduli at temperatures between 298 to 925 K. The C_u and C₄₄ moduli are obtained directly from high frequency wave propagation along the D.S. axis, corresponding to <100>. Evaluation of C₁₂ requires measurements at lower frequencies to obtain (C₁₁ −E _<100>). The elastic anisotropy and temperature dependence of the elastic moduli are almost identical to those reported for pure Ni, indicating that neither TaC fiber reinforcement nor γ′ precipitate have strong effects on elastic properties of Ni based turbine blade alloys.     

On the cyclic behavior of a directionally solidified eutectic alloy containing ductile fibers

A study of the low cycle fatigue behavior of the unidirectionally solidified eutectic alloy Ni₃Al(γ′)-molybdenum has been carried out. A difference in thermal contraction characteristics of fiber and matrix led to the development of residual stresses on the composite which influenced the initial flow processes as well as the shape of hysteresis loops. The fatigue tests were carried out under reversed strain-control conditions, and for lives less than 10⁴ cycles fiber buckling led to a curvature of the log strain-log life plot. Dislocation arrays in both matrix and fibers were examined by TEM. Of particular interest was a unique dislocation arrangement in the fibers which consisted of a dense tangle of dislocation debris in the core of the fiber and a relatively dislocation-free region between the core and outer surface of the fiber. The development of this core structure was attributed to the operation of multiple dislocation sources and the annihilation of trailing screw segments of dislocation loops within the fibers. formerly Post-doctoral Research Associate, Department of Metallurgy, University of Connecticut     

Deformation and fracture behavior of a directionally solidified β/γ′ Ni-30 At. pct Al alloy

The effect of a ductile γ′-Ni₃Al phase on the room-temperature ductility, temperature-dependent yield strength, and creep resistance of β-NiAl was investigated. Room-temperature tensile ductility of up to 9 pct was observed in directionally solidified β/γ′ Ni-30 at. pct Al alloys, whereas the ductility of directionally solidified (DS), single-phase [001] β-NiAl was negligible. The enhancement in ductility was attributed to a combination of slip transfer from the ductile γ′ to the brittle β phase and extrinsic toughening mechanisms such as crack blunting, deflection, and bridging. As in single-phase Ni₃Al, the temperature-dependent yield strength of these two-phase alloys increased with temperature with a peak at approximately 850 K. The creep strength of the β/γ′ alloys in the temperature range 1000 to 1200 K was found to be comparable to that of monolithic β-NiAl. A creep strengthening phase needs to be incorporated in the β/γ′ microstructure to enhance the elevated temperature mechanical properties.     

Effects of carbon content and ausaging on γ ↔ α′ transformation behavior and reverse-transformed structure in Fe-Ni-Co-Al-C alloys

The effects of carbon content and ausaging on austenite γ ↔ martensite (α′) transformation behavior and reverse-transformed structure were investigated in Fe-32Ni-12Co-4Al and Fe-(26,28)Ni-12Co-4Al-0.4C (wt pct) alloys. TheM _s temperature, the hardness of γ phase, and the tetragonality of α′ increase with increasing ausaging time, and these values are higher in the carbon-bearing alloys in most cases. The γ → α′ transformation behavior is similar to that of thermoelastic martensite; that is, the width of α′ plate increases with decreasing temperature in all alloys. The αt’ → γ reverse transformation temperature is lower in the carbon-bearing alloys, which means that the shape memory effect is improved by the addition of carbon. The maximum shape recovery of 84 pct is obtained in Fe-28Ni-12Co-4Al-0.4C alloy when the ausaged specimen is deformed at theM _s temperature and heated to 1120 K. There are two types of reverse-transformed austenites in the carbon-bearing alloy. One type is the reversed y containing many dislocations which were formed when the γ/α′ interface moved reversibly. The plane on which dislocations lie is (01 l)_γ if the twin plane is (112)_α′. The other type of reverse-transformed austenite exhibits γ islands nucleated within the α′ plates.     

Directional solidification of aluminum-nickel eutectic alloys using electroslag remelting

Attempts were made to produce directionally solidified, specifically grain aligned Al-6 wt pct Ni eutectic alloy using a laboratory scale ESR unit. For this purpose sand cast alloy electrodes were electroslag remelted under different mold conditions. The grain structure of the ingots obtained from these meltings showed that insulated silica molds gave the best vertical alignment of grains along the length of the ingot. The NiAl₃ fibers within the grains tended to fan out and there was only a preferred alignment of fibers along the growth direction under the conditions of our experiments. The ESR parameters most suitable for vertical alignment of eutectic grains have been identified. In some electroslag remelting trials ingots were grown on a seed ingot. This resulted in a fewer vertical grains compared to the case when no seed ingot was used. The sand cast specimen of the eutectic exhibited a maximum tensile strength of around 88.2 MN/m² (9.0 kg/mm²) whereas conventional ESR using water cooled mold gave strength value of 98.0 MN/m² (10 kg/mm²). The directionally solidified ESR material showed longitudinal tensile strength as high as 213.7 MN/m² (21.8 kg/mm²) which could be further increased to 220.6 MN/m² (22.5 kg/mm²) by using the seed ingot. The average growth rate was varied between 5 to 25 mm/min during electroslag remelting in this study. The flow stresses, tangent modulus and ultimate tensile strength of directionally solidified eutectic increased with increasing growth rates. Formerly Research Fellow, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012 is now     

Effect of growth conditions on the structure of directionally solidified γlγ’δ eutectic

γ/γ/’-δ eutectic alloy containing 21.5 wt pct Nb, 2.5 wt pct Al, balance Ni was directionally solidified under a thermal gradient (G) of 500 K/cm and different schedules of growth rate (R). Under steady state growth rate conditions, the critical (G/R) for plane front solidification is 25 K h/cm². At progressively lower (G/R) the structure becomes richer in γ-phase,i.e. hypoeutectic. Sudden increase in growth speed causes the structure to change from lamellar to cellular and gradual increase in growth speed results in interlamellar spacings that are larger than the extremum values. Sudden decrease in growth speed causes little disturbance in the structure but causes the eutectic grain size to increase.     

Effect of initial gamma prime size on the elevated temperature creep properties of single crystal nickel base superalloys

The influence of initial γ′ size and shape on the high temperature creep properties of two single crystal nickel-base superalloys was investigated. The two alloys were chosen to represent different magnitudes of γ-γ′ lattice mismatch. A range of initial microstructures was produced by various quenching and aging treatments. Creep-rupture testing at 1000 °C was performed under stresses where γ′ directionally coarsens to form γ-γ′ lamellae in the early portion of the creep life. Both alloys exhibited a peak in creep resistance as a function of initial γ′ size. The peak corresponded to an initial microstructure consisting of cuboidal precipitates aligned along [001] directions. These aligned cuboidal γ′ particles directionally coarsened into a relatively perfect lamellar γ-γ′ structure in the early stages of creep, whereas the more irregularly shaped and distributed γ′ particles in both under and overaged material formed more irregular lamellae with more imperfections. The alloy with a lower magnitude of mismatch was less sensitive to initial γ′size and shape.     

Strengths and failure mechanisms of a Co-15Cr-13TaC directionally solidified eutectic alloy

The tensile and stress rupture properties of a Co(Cr)-TaC directionally solidified eutectic alloy have been investigated and compared to those of a single phase, directionally solidified Co(Cr) alloy corresponding in composition to that of the eutectic matrix. The temperature for 100 h stress rupture life at 20,000 psi (138 MN/m²) is about 200°F (111°C) better than that of any cast nickel-base superalloy now used in aircraft or land gas turbines. The degree of superiority becomes progressively less at higher stresses, and at 50,000 psi (345 MN/m²), the temperature for 100 h stress rupture life in the eutectic is about 150°F (83°C) less than for several high strength superalloys. This behavior is related to a bimodal stress rupture mechanism. A model predicts that at low stresses, failure is controlled by the stress rupture behavior of the matrix; and at high stresses failure occurs by a stress relaxation mechanism which causes early fiber failure. Fractographic observations are in agreement with the existence of two stress rupture mechanisms. It was also observed that both stress rupture mechanisms can occur at the same temperature, with specimens failing by the fiber-related mode having lives 1 to 2 orders of magnitude in time less than those which fail by the matrix-related mode at the same stress level. Both authors were associated with the General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center, Schenectady, N. Y. at the time this study was performed     

The Influence of Cr on the Solidification Behavior of Polycrystalline γ(Ni)/γ′(Ni3Al)-δ(Ni3Nb) Eutectic Ni-Base Superalloys

In the current investigation, the effect of Cr on the solidification characteristics and as-cast microstructure of pseudobinary γ-δ eutectic alloys based on a near-eutectic composition (Ni-5.5Al-13.5Nb at. pct) was investigated. It was found that Cr additions promote the formation of a higher volume fraction of γ-δ eutectic microstructure in the interdendritic region. Increasing levels of Cr also triggered morphological changes in the γ-δ eutectic and the formation of γ-γ′-δ ternary eutectic during the last stage of solidification. A detailed characterization of the as-cast alloys also revealed that Cr additions suppressed the liquidus, solidus, and γ′ precipitation temperature of these γ/γ′-δ eutectic alloys. A comparison of the experimental results with thermodynamic calculations using the CompuTherm Pandat database (CompuTherm LLC, Madison, WI) showed qualitative agreement.     

Microstructure and yield strength of UDIMET 720LI alloyed with Co-16.9 Wt Pct Ti

We proposed a new method for developing Ni-base turbine disc alloy for application at temperatures above 700 °C by mixing a Ni-base superalloy U720LI with a two-phase alloy Co-16.9 wt pct Ti in various contents. The microstructure and phase stability of the alloys were analyzed using an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and an X-ray diffractometer. The yield strength was studied by compression tests at temperatures ranging from 25 °C to 1200 °C. The results show that all the alloys had a dendritic structure. Ni₃Ti (η) phase was formed in the interdendritic region in the alloys with the addition of Co-16.9 wt pct Ti, and its volume fraction increased with the increase in the addition of Co-16.9 wt pct Ti. The results of exposure at 750 °C show that the addition of Co-16.9 wt pct Ti to U720LI had a great effect on suppressing the formation of σ phase due to the reduced Cr content in the γ matrix. Compared to U720LI, the alloys with the addition of Co-16.9 wt pct Ti possessed higher yield strength. The solid-solution strengthening of γ and γ′ and higher volume fraction of γ′ were assumed to cause this strength increase.     

The effects of composition and γ′/γ lattice parameter mismatch on the critical resolved shear stresses for octahedral and cube slip in NiAlCrX alloys

Prototypical single-crystal NiAlCrX superalloys were studied to examine the effects of the common major alloying elements, Co, Mo, Nb, Ta, Ti, and W, on yielding behavior. The alloys contained about 10 at. pct Cr, 60 vol pct of the γ′ phase, and about 3 at. pct of X in the γ′. The critical resolved shear stresses (CRSSs) for octahedral and primary cube slip were measured at 760 °C, which is about the peak strength temperature. The CRSS_Oct and CRSS_cube are discussed in relation to those of Ni₃ (Al, X) γ′ alloys taken from the literature and the γ′/γ lattice mismatch. The CRSS_Oct of the γ+γ′ alloys reflected a similar compositional dependence to that of both the CRSS_Oct of the γ′ phase and the γ′/γ lattice parameter mismatch. The CRSS_cube of the γ+γ′ alloys also reflected the compositional dependence of the γ′/γ mismatch, but bore no similarity to that of CRSS_cube for γ′ alloys since it is controlled by the γ matrix. The ratio of CRSS_cube/CRSS_Oct was decreased by all alloying elements except Co, which increased the ratio. The decrease in CRSS_cube/CRSS_Oct was related to the degree in which elements partition to the γ′ rather than the γ phase.     

Microstructure and its development in Cu-Al-Ni alloys

The microstructure of as-cast Cu-AI-Ni alloys, based on copper containing 9 to 10 wt pct Al and up to 5 wt pct Ni, has been examined. The development of the microstructure on continuous cooling has also been investigated. For alloys with 9.2 to 9.3 wt pct Al, and less than 1 wt pct Ni, the as-cast microstructure consists of proeutectoid α solid solution, α + γ₂ eutectoid, and martensitic β. If the nickel content is more than 2.5 wt pct, the α + γ₂ eutectoid is replaced by α + β ₂ ^′ eutectoid, and no martensitic β is observed in the as-cast alloys. The morphologies of the β ₂ ^′ and γ₂ eutectoid phases are similar; both have the Kurdjumov-Sachs (K-S) orientation relationship with the a phase. Two eutectoid reactions, involving β to α + γ₂ and β to α + β′₂, have been observed in an alloy containing 9.7 wt pct Al and 2.7 wt pct Ni. When both eutectoid reactions occur, the Nishiyama-Wassermann (N-W) orientation relationship exists between γ₂ or β ₂ ^′ and the α phase. During continuous cooling, proeutectoid α solid solution is the first phase to precipitate from the high-temperature β phase. The β to α + β ₂ ^′ eutectoid reaction starts at higher temperatures than the β to α + γ₂ reaction. Tempering of the as-cast alloys results in the elimination of the martensitic β. Y.S. SUN formerly Research Associate with the Manchester Materials Science Centre.     

High temperature creep in a semi-coherent NiAl-Ni2AlTi alloy

Creep experiments have been made on a Ni-Ti-Al alloy, which has a microstructure consisting of a distribution of semi-coherent NiAl(β) precipitates with a Ni₂AlTi(β′) Heusler phase matrix. The creep strength of this bcc type structure alloy is at least comparable with that of the nickel-base superailoy MARM-200 for values ofT/T _m in the range 0.68 to 0.82. Quantitative electron microscope experiments show that both undissociated α₀〈110〉 dislocations, and paired α₀〈100〉 dislocations coupled by a sublattice A.P.B. exist within the β′ phase;α ₀ is the lattice parameter of a bcc cell of which the large Ni₂AlTi unit-cell is composed. The sublattice A.P.B. is a crystallographic fault created by wrong bonds between atoms on the Al-Ti sublattice. Theoretically the energy γ of a sublattice A.P.B. is shown to be minimum on {100}, and the experimental value for γ on {100} is ~40 mJ/m₂.