Mechanical behavior of cast single phase alloys solidified from undercooled melts

Several ingots (0.0254 m in diam × 0.10 m long) of nickel-30 wt pct copper, nickel-10 wt pct cobalt and iron-25 wt pct nickel were solidified with various undercoolings up to about 200 K, prior to nucleation of the solid. The materials were mechanically tested in the ascast condition. In nickel-30 wt pct copper and iron-25 wt pct nickel alloys the 0.2 pct offset yield strength, ductility and fatigue strength increased with undercooling. A linear relationship was established between 0.2 pct offset yield strength and the square root of secondary dendrite arm spacing in dendritic alloys (undercooled less than 170 K) or that of grain diameter in nondendritic alloys (undercooled more than 170 K). In iron-25 wt pct nickel limited testing indicated improvements in Charpy V-notch impact strength and in fracture toughness with undercooling. No improvement of tensile properties with undercooling was observed in nickel-10 wt pct cobalt, an alloy which solidified normally with very low microsegregation.