Microstructural development in single crystal nickel base superalloy welds

Abstract

The welding behaviour of alloy PWA 1480, a single crystal nickel base super alloy, has been investigated. The ability to successfully weld single crystal nickel base superalloys is desirable for fabrication procedures as well as for potential repair applications in both aircraft and land based turbine systems. The microstructural development in welds of this alloy was characterised and analysed using a geometrical model developed earlier in the study of Fe–Cr–Ni single crystal welds. The microstructural features in the nickel base alloy welds and, in particular, the dendritic growth patterns, were accurately described by this model. However, several potential difficulties with the welding of the nickel base superalloys were identified. First, there is frequent formation of stray crystals which result in the loss of the single crystal nature of the weld. Second, dendritic zones are formed in the weld and these may result in a degradation of the weld properties, even if the single crystal character of the weldment remains intact. In addition, extensive cracking was found in these welds and this subject is dealt with in a companion paper.     

一种镍基单晶高温合金蠕变机制的研究

对一种镍基单晶高温合金在两种蠕变条件下（760℃／780MPa和982℃1248MPa）的变形机制进行分析．结果表明：在中温高应力条件下（760℃／780MPa）,在低应变阶段,位错以堆垛层错的形式切入γ’相;高应变阶段,位错以位错对的方式切入γ’相．在高温低应力条件下（982℃／248MPa）的低应变阶段,母相a／2（110）位错在基体中运动弓出,并绕过γ’相,发生位错反应而形成位错网;高应变阶段与中温高应力条件的切入机制相同．     

Twinning Behaviors During Thermomechanical Fatigue Cycling of a Nickel-Base Single-Crystal TMS-82 Superalloy

This paper provides further insight into the formation of deformation twins at different stages during the whole thermomechanical fatigue cycling in a nickel-base single-crystal TMS-82 superalloy. In general, it is found that twinning behaviors can always be associated with the applied stress orientation. The preferred twinning direction at the primary stage is 〈001〉-compression since the tangled dislocations which appear after the first plastic deformation provide an opportunity for twinning nucleation in compression. At the intermediate stage, the applied stress required for formation of twins in tension is much larger than that in compression; hence, twinning behaviors show distinct tension/compression asymmetry. A thick twin plate and a great many dislocations can be found after fatigue failure, and one can rationalize the reason for this twinning being associated with the TMF procedure. Twins at the tip of the crack in tension occur owing to the existence of compressive strain field.     

Stray grain formation,thermomechanical stress and solidification cracking in single crystal nickel base superalloy welds

Abstract

In the present study, the effects of stray grain formation and thermomechanical stresses on solidification cracking in welds of single crystal Ni-base superalloys have been investigated. Welds were made in an asymmetric crystallographic orientation under three different processing conditions. As welding speed and power increased, stray grain formation became extensive, but only on one side of the weld. Solidification cracking also became more extensive and occurred mostly along the stray grain boundaries. The three welding processes have been simulated using the finite element method (FEM). The calculation results showed that thermomechanical stresses increase with welding speed and power, leading to increased susceptibility to cracking. These results agree well with experimental observations.     

新型抗热腐蚀镍基高温合金K44的高温低周疲劳行为

研究了K44合金900℃低周疲劳性能和断裂行为。研究结果表明,该合金在循环形变过程中,首先表现出起始循环硬化或软化,随后循环稳定及最终失稳断裂三阶段。高应变幅下位错切割γ′相形成层错,降低变形阻力,合金表现出循环软化行为;低应变幅下位错在γ′相前塞积造成位错可动性降低,合金表现出循环硬化行为。疲劳裂纹主要萌生于试样表面或近表面缺陷处,以穿晶方式扩展;合金基体中块状碳化物对裂纹扩展起阻滞作用。     

Temperature dependence of deformation mechanism in single crystal Ni-base superalloy

The tensile behavior of a new single crystal Ni-base superalloy was studied at various temperatures.Specimens were strained to fracture in the temperature range from 20 ℃ to 1 000 ℃. σ0.2 is essentially unaffected by temperatures between 20 ℃ and 400 ℃. At higher temperatures it increases until it reaches a maximum at about 800 ℃. Beyond 800 ℃ a sharp decrease of strength is observed. There is a slight fluctuation in ductility between 20 ℃ and 800 ℃. The elongation to fracture increases from 10% to 36% as the temperature increases from 800 ℃ to 1 000 ℃. The deformation is dominated by γ' shearing and the high-density dislocations are observed in matrix channels at low temperatures. The dislocation microstructure is inhomogeneous due to the formation of dislocation concentrations with high-density tangling at intermediate temperatures. The networks deposited at the γ'/γ'interfaces prevent dislocations from entering the γ' precipitates at high temperatures.     

IC10合金热机械疲劳性能与寿命预测

600～1 100 ℃时对IC10合金进行同相位、反相位、135-相位和-135-相位的应变控制热机械疲劳实验.发展了一种三参数幂函数能量方法的寿命预测方法,并用于材料的热机械疲劳寿命预测.对Manson-Coffin方程、拉伸迟滞能模型(Ostergren)、基于微裂纹扩展模型的能量方法和三参数幂函数能量方法热机械疲劳寿命预测能力进行评估,结果表明:材料的热机械疲劳应力-应变滞后回线的形状与温度-机械载荷之间的相位角有关;温度-机械载荷之间的相位角对材料的热机械疲劳性能有一定的影响;三参数幂函数能量方法物理意义明确,形式简单,寿命预测结果分布在2倍的分散带内,可以用来预测IC10合金的热机械疲劳寿命.     

Crack growth behavior of SRR99 single crystal superalloy under thermal fatigue

The thermal fatigue behavior of a single crystal superalloy SRR99 was investigated.Specimens with V-type notch were tested at the peak temperatures of 900,1000,and 1100℃.The crack growth curves as a function of the number of cycles were plotted.With the increase of peak temperature,the crack initiation life was shortened dramatically.Through optical microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation,it was found that multiple small cracks nucleated at the notch tip region but only one or two of them continued to develop in the following thermal cycles.The primary cracks generally propagated along a preferential direction.Microstructure changes after thermal fatigue were also discussed on the basis of SEM observation.     

Bonding phenomena of transient liquid phase bonded joints of a Ni base single crystal superalloy

The bonding phenomena of Ni base single crystal superalloy CMSX-2 during transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding have been investigated using MBF-80 and F-24 insert metals. TLP bonding of the superalloy was carried out at 1373-1548K for 0-19.6ks in vacuum and the (100) plane of each test specimen was always aligned perpendicular to the joint interface. The dissolution width increased when the bonding temperature and holding time increased. The eutectic width decreased linearly with the square root of holding time during isothermal solidification. After homogenization treatment, the microstructure, distributions of hardness and alloying elements in the bonded interlayer become similar to those of the base metal.     

High-temperature oxidation of a single crystal Ni-base superalloy

The isothermal oxidation behaviour of a single crystal Ni-base superalloy (CMSX2) between 900 and 1300°C in air at atmospheric pressure or in pure static oxygen at 0.2 atm. pressure has been studied for test durations between 8 to 1000 hours. The extremely low oxidation rate did not permit accurate measurements of oxidation kinetics. However, oxide scale examinations by means of SEM, EDS, TEM, X-ray diffraction, RHEED, SIMS and metallography allowed to discuss the oxidation mechanisms of the studied alloy. At temperature higher than 1100°C, the very good oxidation resistance is due to the growth of a thin Al₂O₃ scale while at lower temperature it may be attributed to the growth of a subscale of a complex oxide (Cr, Ti, Al) (Ti, Ta)O₄ possessing a rutile structure. The effect of chemical homogeneity was studied in comparing the behaviour of as-cast and homogenized specimens.     

第二代单晶高温合金的低周疲劳行为

研究了含0.34%Hf DD6单晶高温合金在760℃下的低周疲劳行为,对其疲劳裂纹的萌生与扩展进行了分析。结果表明,含0.34%Hf DD6合金比含0.10%Hf的疲劳寿命稍有降低;其损伤以弹性损伤为主。疲劳裂纹萌生于试样表面、亚表面或试样内部后,先沿垂直应力轴方向扩展,后沿{111}面扩展。其断裂机制为类解理断裂。断口上有典型的疲劳条带。断裂组织分析表明,位错主要在基体通道中扩展,变形后期切过γ'相,形成滑移带。     

小角度晶界对单晶高温合金高周疲劳性能的影响

用双籽晶法制备了带有9°小角度晶界的DD6单晶高温合金试板,研究了小角度晶界对合金700℃高周疲劳性能的影响,并与[001]取向合金的疲劳性能进行了对比分析,用扫描电镜和透射电镜分析了其断口形貌和断裂机制。结果表明,带有9°小角度晶界合金的高周疲劳极限比[001]取向合金的稍有降低。疲劳裂纹萌生于试样表面或亚表面,而不在晶界上形成。小角度晶界试样的疲劳断裂机制有两种情况,大部分试样为类解理断裂,其它试样为类解理与沿晶混合断裂。     

Hot corrosion behaviour of a laser beam irradiated nickel base superalloy

The structure and the hot corrosion resistance of cast nickel-base superalloy M 38 irradiated by CO₂ laser beam of 1.3 KW output have been examined by means of optical microscopy, XRD, SEM and EPMA in comparison with un-irradiated specimens. The hot corrosion tests were carried out in a crucible filled with a mixture of 75 Na₂SO₄ + 25 NaCl at 900°C for 15, 35, 55, 80 and 100 hrs, respectively. The results showed that the corrosion resistance of the irradiated alloy is by a factor 2–3 higher than that of the cast alloy. In contrast to significant internal oxidation/sulfidation along the grain boundaries in the cast alloy, under a dense protective oxide scale mainly consisting of Cr₂O₃, there was no sign of internal oxidation/sulfidation in the irradiated alloy. The irradiated surface layer may be regarded as an effective barrier forming part of the superalloy itself.     

Surface recrystallization of single crystal nickel-based superalloy

As-cast single crystal (SC) superalloy samples were shot peened and then annealed at different temperatures to investigate the effect of annealing temperature on the surface recrystallization behavior of the SC superalloy. The results show that the depth of recrystallized layers increases with the increase of annealing temperature. Below 1200 °C, the recrystallization depth climbs slowly with temperature rising. Above 1200 °C, the recrystallization depth increases sharply with the rise of temperature. The morphology of recrystallized grains is significantly affected by annealing temperature. Below the γ′ solvus, cellular recrystallization may be observed. Above the γ′ solvus, recrystallization occurs through the growth of well developed recrystallized grains. In addition, the microstructure evolution of recrystallized grains at the homogenization annealing temperature was studied. It is found that recrystallized grains first nucleate in the dendritic core areas on the shot-peened surface and then grow inwards along the dendritic core areas. With the dissolution of the coarse γ′ precipitates and γ′/γ′ eutectics in the interdendritic areas, the recrystallized grain boundaries move through the interdendritic areas. Finally, the fully developed grains nearly have a uniform depth. The dissolution of primary γ′ precipitates is a critical factor influencing the recrystallization behavior of SC superalloys.     

单晶高温合金的选晶行为

对高温合金单晶选晶生长工艺进行了实验研究,揭示了螺旋选晶器和缩颈选晶器的原理,实验结果表明,在螺旋选晶器中,晶体横向拚优生长与螺旋结构的耦合作用,形成连续选晶过程,是螺旋选晶的主要原理,其选晶作用良好;而在缩颈选晶器中,几乎只存在单一的机械阻隔选晶行为,多重缩颈结构对于改善选晶作用并不明显,选晶效果不好。     

Influence of crystal orientation on cellular growth of a nickel-base single crystal superalloy

The cellular pattern evolution during directional solidification of a nickel-base single crystal superalloy has been studied in different crystallographic orientations using re-oriented seed crystals. Under the same thermal gradient and solidification velocity, the microstructures of differently oriented cellular single crystals are schematically investigated. It is concluded that the cellular growth direction is less affected by the seed orientation and depends on the heat flow, and is usually along heat flow direction. Cellular interface stability and microstructure are greatly influenced by the crystallographic orientation. When increasing the misorientation, the cell spacing increases correspondingly and the cellular growth interface becomes more unstable.     

High-temperature oxidation of a nickel base superalloy at different oxygen partial pressures

A series of oxidation tests were conducted for a nickel base superalloy, as these materials are used at high temperature in aggressive conditions, thus the influence of oxygen on their degradation mechanisms must be known. The material was treated for up to 150?h at 900 and 1000°C in a furnace able to control and maintain atmospheres with different partial oxygen pressures. The oxidation rate of the material was determined by gravimetric means. In all cases, the rate of oxidation followed parabolic regimes that depended on the value of oxygen partial pressure. The oxide scale formed was characterised by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy; these analyses revealed that the oxide scale consisted of an outer TiO₂ layer and inner Cr₂O₃ layer under all experimental conditions. Cross-section analyses indicated the development of internal oxidation and the presence of gamma-prime free zones.