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By increasing the density of interfaces in NiAl–CrMo in situ composites, the mechanical properties can be significantly improved compared to conventionally cast material. The refined microstructure is achieved by manufacturing through electron beam powder bed fusion (PBF‐EB). By varying the process parameters, an equiaxed or columnar cell morphology can be obtained, exhibiting a plate‐like or an interconnected network of the (Cr,Mo) reinforcement phase which is embedded in a NiAl matrix. The microstructure of the different cell morphologies is investigated in detail using scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscopy, and atom probe tomography. For both morphologies, the mechanical properties at elevated temperatures are analyzed by compression and creep experiments parallel and perpendicular to the building direction. In comparison to cast NiAl and NiAl–(Cr, Mo), the yield strength of the PBF‐EB fabricated specimens is significantly improved at temperatures up to 1,027 °C. While the columnar morphology exhibits the best improved mechanical properties at high temperatures, the equiaxial morphology shows nearly ideal isotropic mechanical behavior, which is a substantial advantage over directionally solidified material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introducing Cu nanoparticles is an effective mechanism for strengthening and toughening Fe‐based materials such as ultra‐high‐strength steels. Herein, the effect of Cu on the mechanical properties of a novel Fe‐based α/α′/α″ superalloy is studied. Compared to a Cu‐free reference alloy, nanoindentation reveals an increase in hardness, which was associated with the formation of Cu nanoparticles. Both alloys show room temperature (RT) compressive plastic strain at maximum stress greater than 8%, irrespective of the heat‐treatment. At RT and at 750 °C, the Cu‐containing alloy exhibits a slightly higher strength, but the heat treatment has a more significant impact: A configuration of α‐matrix and intermetallic α′/α″‐phases forming an interpenetrating network is superior to a state with isolated precipitates. This difference vanishes in monotonic creep experiments, and under the same conditions, the Cu‐containing alloy exhibits a twice as high creep rate despite a slightly higher precipitate fraction. This is linked to a higher lattice misfit and faster‐coarsening kinetics. Post‐mortem transmission electron microscopy analysis of the creep‐deformed specimens identifies dislocation bypass as the dominant deformation mechanism. However, the presence of <010>{110} dislocations in the interfacial networks and evidence of dislocation activity within α′/α″ precipitates suggest the occurrence of shearing events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical methods can accelerate the design of alloys with improved material properties. One approach is the coupling of multi-criteria optimization with CALPHAD-based models of alloy properties. While this technique has already yielded promising new Nickel-base superalloys, the applicability to CoNi-base alloys has not yet been investigated. These alloys show promising properties for application as wrought high-temperature materials. We designed three CoNi-base superalloys, which were optimized for either high strength or high chemical homogeneity. The alloys were cast, and mechanical and thermophysical properties were characterized. The alloy optimized for strength showed creep performance inferior to a conventionally designed CoNi-alloy but had a much lower density. For developing highly homogeneous alloys, Scheil calculations were implemented in the optimization routine to quantify the severity of segregation. Non-equilibrium phases could be predicted successfully, resulting in a degree of homogeneity that rivaled that of a low-segregation ternary Co-base alloy. A comparison of elemental partitioning behavior and phase transition temperatures with CALPHAD calculations showed that trends are well represented for the most part. Finally, the applicability of the alloy design approach for Co-rich superalloys is evaluated, and possible applications for the optimized alloys are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ni content is a crucial factor for the development of γ′-strengthened Co-based superalloys and some studies have systematically addressed its influence on various properties in model superalloys. In this paper, we report for the first time the influence of the Co/Ni ratio in the more advanced nine-component superalloy ERBOCo-1: exchanging Co and Ni in this Co/Ni-based superalloy while keeping the other alloying elements constants has a big influence on a variety of material properties. The elemental segregation after casting is slightly more pronounced in the alloy with higher Ni-content. Microstructural characterization of this alloy termed ERBOCo-1X after heat-treatment reveals that the precipitates are cuboidal in the Co- and spherical in the Ni-rich alloy, indicating a decrease in the γ/γ′ lattice misfit. Analyzing the elemental partitioning behavior by atom probe tomography suggests that the partitioning behavior of W is responsible for that. Furthermore, it is found that even though Ni exhibits the highest overall concentration, the γ matrix phase is still Co-based, because Ni is strongly enriched in the γ′ precipitates. Creep tests at 900 °C reveal that even though the microstructure looks less favorable, the creep resistance of the Ni-rich alloy is slightly superior to the Co-rich variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanical properties of low-pressure plasma sprayed (LPPS) MCrAlY (M = Ni, Co) bond coats, Amdry 386, Amdry 9954 and oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) Amdry 9954 (named Amdry 9954 + ODS) were investigated after annealing in three atmospheres: Ar–O2, Ar–H2O, and Ar–H2–H2O. Freestanding bond coats were investigated to avoid any influence from the substrate. Miniaturized cylindrical tensile specimens were produced by a special grinding process and then tested in a thermomechanical analyzer (TMA) within a temperature range of 900–950 °C. Grain size and phase fraction of all bond coats were investigated by EBSD before testing and no difference in microstructure was revealed due to annealing in various atmospheres. The influence of annealing in different atmospheres on the creep strength was not very pronounced for the Co-based bond coats Amdry 9954 and Amdry 9954 + ODS in the tested conditions. The ODS bond coats revealed significantly higher creep strength but a lower strain to failure than the ODS-free Amdry 9954. The Ni-based bond coat Amdry 386 showed higher creep strength than Amdry 9954 due to the higher fraction of the β-NiAl phase. Additionally, its creep properties at 900 °C were much more affected by annealing in different atmospheres. The bond coat Amdry 386 annealed in an Ar–H2O atmosphere showed a significantly lower creep rate than the bond coat annealed in Ar–O2 and Ar–H2–H2O atmospheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the solute diffusional behavior active during compressive creep deformation at 150 MPa / 975 °C of a Co-Al-W-Ta single crystal superalloy in the [001] orientation. We report the formation of shear-bands that involves re-orientation of γ/γʹ rafts to {111} from {001} planes, referring to as γ/γ′ raft-rotation. In the shear-band regions, we observed abundant micro-twins, stacking faults (SFs), disordered zones within the γʹ termed as 'γ pockets' and also few geometrically-close-packed (GCP) phases. We used a correlative approach blending electron microscopy and atom probe tomography to characterize the structure and composition of these features. The SFs were identified as intrinsic and exhibit a W enrichment up to 14.5 at.% and an Al deficiency down to 5.1 at.%, with respect to the surrounding γʹ phase. The micro-twin boundaries show a solute enrichment similar to the SFs with a distinct W compositional profile gradients perpendicular from the boundaries into the twin interior, indicating solute diffusion within the micro-twins. The γ-pockets have a composition close to that of γ but richer in W/Ta. Based on these observations, we propose (i) a solute diffusion mechanism taking place during micro-twinning, (ii) a mechanism for the γ/γʹ raft-rotation process and evaluate their influence on the overall creep deformation of the present Co-based superalloy. Image, graphical abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose here a deformation-induced diffusive phase transformation mechanism occurring during shearing of γ′ ordered phase in a γ/γ′ single crystalline CoNi-based superalloy. Shearing involved the creation and motion of a high density of planar imperfections. Through correlative electron microscopy and atom probe tomography, we captured a superlattice intrinsic stacking fault (SISF) and its associated moving leading partial dislocation (LPD). The structure and composition of these imperfections reveal characteristic chemical – structural contrast. The SISF locally exhibits a D0 19 ordered structure coherently embedded in the L1 2 γ′ and enriched in W and Co. Interestingly, the LPD is enriched with Cr and Co, while the adjoining planes ahead of the LPD are enriched with Al. Quantitative analysis of the three-dimensional compositional field in the vicinity of imperfections sheds light onto a new in-plane diffusion mechanism as the LPD moves on specific {111} planes upon application of stress at high temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A polycrystalline L1 2 -hardened Co-base superalloy was creep deformed at 750 °C. The investigation of the deformed microstructure in the transmission electron microscope revealed microtwinning to be the prevailing deformation mechanism. The detected twins spanned the entire grain and cut through both, γ and γ′. Detailed high-resolution transmission electron microscopy investigations indicated that twin growth takes place by the slip of single a/6 〈112〉 partial dislocations along the twin boundary. Further analysis of the twin boundaries in the γ′ phase revealed segregation of elements known to decrease the stacking fault energy and a local depletion of γ′ forming elements. We propose that this segregation behavior enables subsequent a/6〈112〉 dislocations to easily slip along the twin boundary and further thicken the twins in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]