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Two alloys with different Ta and Al contents were applied to study the influence of Ta/Al ratio on the microstructural evolution and creep deformation under high temperature. The increase of Ta/Al ratio made the γ/γ′ lattice misfit more negative and enhanced the volume fraction of γ′ phase, which produced cubic and small γ′ phase in the initial microstructures. These initial tiny γ′ phases impeded the dislocations movement and delayed the course of complete rafted γ′ phase during the origination of creep deformation, which prolonged the time of the primary creep stage. Moreover, the increase of Ta/Al ratio and addition of Ru produced the denser and stable dislocation networks, the high APB energy and better solution strengthening, which hindered the climbing and sliding of dislocations, and restrained the formation of superdislocations in the γ′ precipitate. The second creep stage was extended, and the minimum creep rate was reduced. Hence, the increase of whole creep life of the alloy containing high Ta/Al ratio was attributed to the prolongation of the primary and second creep stages, and the low minimum creep rate. The appearance of the topological inversion phenomenon during the tertiary creep stage was the primary cause for the sudden increase of the creep strain rate of the alloy containing low Ta/Al ratio. However, the high creep strain rate of the alloy containing high Ta/Al ratio during the tertiary creep stage was related to the occurrence and extending of the cracks near the voids. Both alloys would lose efficacy within 20 h–30 h.

The elastoplastic behaviors of a nickel-based single crystal superalloy at 760 °C, 927 °C and 1100 °C were studied, respectively, after 815 °C/250 MPa lasting for 2000 h, 927 °C/205 MPa lasting for 2000 h and 1100 °C/30 MPa lasting for 1000 h. After 815 °C/250 MPa lasting for 2000 h, the $\gamma '$ phases still maintain the cubic shape, but their size increases compared with the original microstructure. The values of $\sigma _{\mathrm{b}}$ , $\sigma _{0.2}$ , $\delta _{5}$ and $\psi $ increase. The tensile fracture surface is 45° with the [001] direction and the fracture mechanism is octahedral slip. After 927 °C/205 MPa lasting for 2000 h and 1100 °C/30 MPa for 1000 h, N-type plate-like rafting structure formed, and the latter owns a higher degree. The values of $\sigma _{\mathrm{b}}$ and $\sigma _{0.2}$ decrease obviously, while $\delta _{5}$ and $\psi $ basically are unchanged. The mechanism is the mixed fracture of octahedral slip and I-type. The fatigue verification test and simulation further prove the strengthening effect.

The contribution of crystallography-dependent metallurgical factors, such as supersaturation of liquid aluminum and minimum dendrite tip undercooling, to solidification behavior and microstructure development is numerically analyzed during Ni-Cr-Al ternary single-crystal superalloy molten pool solidification to better understand thermodynamic and kinetic driving forces behind solidification cracking resistance. The variation of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and minimum dendrite tip undercooling with location of solid/liquid interface is symmetrically consistent in (001)/[100] welding configuration. By comparison, the variation is asymmetrically consistent in (001)/[110] welding configuration. The different distribution is attributed to growth crystallography and dendrite selection. Significant increase of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling from [010] dendrite growth region to [100] dendrite growth region preferentially aggravates microstructure development as result of nucleation and growth of stray grain formation with the same heat input on each half of the weld pool in (001)/[110] welding configuration. High heat input (both increasing laser power and decreasing welding speed) exacerbates supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling by faster diffusion to incur stray grain formation with severity of contributing thermometallurgical factors for susceptibility to solidification cracking, while low heat input (both decreasing laser power and increasing welding speed) ameliorates microstructure development and increases resistance to solidification cracking. Weld microstructure of optimum welding conditions, such as combination of low heat input and (001)/[100] welding configuration, is less susceptible to solidification cracking to suppress asymmetrical microstructure development and improve weld integrity potential rather than insidious welding conditions, such as combination of high heat input and (001)/[110] welding configuration. Severer supersaturation of liquid aluminum and wider dendrite tip undercooling occur in the [100] dendrite region as consequence of alloying enrichment, while smaller supersaturation of liquid aluminum and narrower dendrite tip undercooling occur in the [001] dendrite region as consequence of alloying depletion to spontaneously facilitate epitaxial growth of single-crystal essential. Symmetrical (001)/[100] welding configuration decreases growth kinetics of dendrite tip with smaller overall supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling than that of asymmetrical (001)/[110] welding configuration regardless of combination of laser power and welding speed. Mitigation of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling simultaneously alleviate crack-susceptible microstructure development and solidification cracking. Additionally, the appropriate mechanism of solidification cracking resistance improvement through modification of crystallography-dependent supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip is proposed. Calculation analyses are sufficiently explained by experiment results in a reasonable way. The additional purpose of this theoretical analysis is to evaluate solidification cracking susceptibility of similar nickel-based or iron-based single-crystal superalloys.

Uniaxial ratcheting behaviour and low cycle fatigue (LCF) failure mechanism of nickel-based single crystal superalloy DD6 with [001] orientation are investigated through the stress-controlled LCF tests with stress ratio of -1. Then the deformation behaviour during the whole-lifetime from the beginning of the experiment to the fracture of the specimen, as well as the fractographic/metallographic morphology, are compared with the strain-controlled LCF experimental results. Through the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations, it is shown that the failure characteristics under stress-controlled LCF loading are similar with those under strain-controlled loading. Nevertheless, unlike strain-controlled LCF loading, even under fully reversed cycle loading for stress-controlled LCF, DD6 shows significant ratcheting behaviour due to the tension-compression asymmetry. In addition, the LCF lifetimes under stress control are significantly shorter than the LCF lifetimes under strain control, and the culprit might be the detrimental effect of ratcheting strain on LCF lifetime. Based on these phenomena, an improved crystal plasticity constitutive model on the basis of slip-based Walker constitutive model is developed through modifying the kinematic hardening rule in order to overcome the inaccurate prediction of decelerating stage and stable stage of ratcheting behaviour. Furthermore, combining the continuum damage mechanics, a damage-coupled crystal plasticity constitutive model is proposed to reflect the damage behaviour of DD6 and the accelerating stage of ratcheting behaviour. The simulation results for the stress-controlled LCF deformation behaviour including the whole-lifetime ratcheting behaviour show good agreement with the experimental data.

The microstructure evolution in Re–Ru containing high generation Ni-base single crystal superalloy has been investigated during long-term isothermal exposure at 1000°C. The chemical and physical ch...

The interfacial reaction between alloys and ceramic materials is an important factor to influence the quality and service performance of the turbine blade. In this paper, three typical height sections of 120mm, 160mm and 210mm were selected, and the interface reactions between DD6 single crystal superalloy and silica based ceramic cores were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed that the infiltration degree of the melt alloy increases with the increase of reaction time. The thickness of the reaction layer could be over 0.3mm when the reaction time increased up to 70min. The main reasons of forming the infiltration layer were the infiltration of the Al element and the interfacial reaction between the Al element and the ceramic core. There formed an aluminum deficient layer on the metal surface because of the interface reaction between the alloy and the ceramic core. The dense layer formed by interfacial reaction on the surface of the core will cause some difficulties for core leaching. Keywords: DD6 single crystal superalloy; Silica based ceramic core; Interface reaction

Numerical simulation and prediction of grain formation and defects, including the stray grain and high angle orientation deviation during directional solidification process of a single crystal superalloy hollow turbine blade are experimentally conducted by means of commercial software ProCAST and backscattering scanning electron microscope. The results show that the initial nucleation amount at the beginning section of the starter block is 104 of magnitude, and the number of grains decreases gradually with the competitive growth, and the number is about 100 at the spiral of the selector. And the orientation distribution of grains is close to direction, with the orientation deviation between 10° and 15°. Moreover, with the increase of withdrawal rate, the curvature of isoline of liquidus of single crystal blade increases, and the tendency to form stray grains defects increases. The grain with a large deviation from orientation blocks the growth of other grains at the first rotating transition site of the selector, and then gradually grows and solidifies to form the final blade.

The solidification temperature range was numerically analyzed to optimize nonequilibrium solidification behavior during ternary Ni-Cr-Al nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification with variation of laser welding conditions (either heat input or welding configuration). The distribution of solidification temperature range along the fusion boundary is beneficially symmetrical about the weld pool centerline in the (001)/[100] welding configuration. The distribution of solidification temperature range along the fusion boundary is detrimentally asymmetrical about the weld pool centerline in the (001)/[110] welding configuration. The stray grain formation and solidification cracking are preferentially confined to [100] dendrite growth region. [001] epitaxial growth region with columnar dendrite morphology is favored at the expense of undesirable [100] growth region with equiaxed dendrite morphology to facilitate essential single-crystal solidification with considerable reduction of heat input. The smaller heat input is used, the narrower solidification temperature range is thermodynamically promoted to reduce nucleation and growth of stray grain formation with decrease of constitutional undercooling ahead of dendrite tip and mitigate thermo-metallurgical factors for morphology instability and microstructure anomalies. Potential low heat input(both decreasing laser power and increasing welding speed) with (001)/[100] welding configuration decreases solidification temperature range to significantly minimize columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) and stray grain formation, and improve resistance to solidification cracking through microstructure control. On both sides of weld pool are imposed by the same heat input, while the solidification temperature range along the fusion boundary inside of [100] dendrite growth region on the right part of the weld pool is spontaneously wider than that of [010] dendrite growth region on the left part to increase solidification cracking susceptibility in the (001)/[110] welding configuration. Furthermore, another mechanism of solidification cracking as consequence of severe solidification behavior and anomalous microstructure with asymmetrical crystallographic orientation is therefore proposed. The theoretical predictions are well verified by experiment results. The useful and satisfactory numerical modeling is also available for other single-crystal superalloys during successful laser repair process without stray grain formation.

Experimental investigation on the influence of load interaction on the life of Single Crystal Nickel-based Superalloy is conducted. Three kinds of load spectrums considering single and coupled failure mode are designed. Life tests are carried out under creep, thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF), and creep-TMF interaction loading. The test results show that test lives, under the creep-TMF interaction loading, are lower than the life predictions given by the linear damage accumulation (LDA) rule, indicating that the load coupling can accelerate the damage evolution process. The microstructure of fractured specimens shows that under the creep-TMF interaction loading, rafting cause more dislocations to accumulate in the at γ/γ′ phase boundary, which could be the evidence of life decrease.

The effect of thermal exposure on microstructure and creep properties of a fourth-generation nickel-based single crystal superalloy was investigated. The thermal exposure of samples after the full heat treatment was carried out at 1000 °C, 1100 °C and 1140 °C for 100 h and 200 h. The γ′ coarsening, γ′ rafting and γ channel widening were observed in samples after thermal exposure. When the thermal exposure time was constant, the morphology of γ′ phase in the alloy evolved significantly with increasing aging temperature. The interfacial dislocation networks in aged samples after creep ruptured gradually became irregular and sparse with the increase of exposure temperature. When the higher exposure temperature was used, enlargement of the defect pores was observed in samples, the microcracks were more likely to initiate and propagate at the corner of these pores. After aging at 1000 °C for 100 h, the creep life at 1140 °C/137 MPa was slightly longer than that of heat-treated sample, which could be attributed to the slightly coarsened γ′ phase, homogenization of refractor elements. In contrast, the creep life of sample exposed at 1140 °C for 100 h was greatly decreased. The decrease of creep life was dominated by the rafting of γ′ phase, the irregular interfacial dislocation networks as well as the enlargement of homogenization pores.

After solid solution treatment at 1335°C for 4 hours and cooling to room temperature at different rate, the nickel-based single crystal superalloy were made into three kinds of nickel-based single crystal superalloy materials containing different size γ′ phases, respectively. The tensile test of I-shaped specimens was carried out at 980°C, and their effect of γ′ phase microstructure on the tensile properties was studied. The results show that the yielding strength of the material air-cooled to room temperature was lower than that with cooling rate at 0.15°C/s, but both of them were lower than the yielding strength of original material. Little difference was found on the elastic modulus of I-shaped specimens made of three kinds of materials. When the cubic degree of the γ′ phase is higher and the size is larger, the tensile properties of the material is better, which can be attributed to the larger size and narrower channel of the matrix phase that lead to higher dislocation resistance.

A thermal metallurgical coupling model was further developed for multicomponent dendrite growth of primary γ gamma phase during laser welding nickel-based single-crystal superalloys. It is indicated that welding configuration has a predominant role on the overall dendrite trunk spacing than heat input throughout the weld pool, and modifies the dendrite growth kinetics. The dendrite trunk spacing in (001) and [100] welding configuration is finer than that of in (001) and [110] welding configuration. In (001) and [100] welding configuration, the bimodal distribution of dendrite trunk spacing is symmetrical about weld pool centerline, the dendrite trunk spacing in [100] growth region near the weld pool center is coarser than [010], [0ī0] and [001] dendrite growth regions. In (001) and [110] welding configuration, the distribution of dendrite trunk spacing is crystallographically asymmetrical, and the dendrite trunk spacing in [100] growth region is severely coarser than that of [010] and [001] dendrite growth regions. (001) and [110] welding configuration is of particular interest, because dendrite trunk spacing decreases in [100] dendrite growth region and dendrite trunk spacing increases in [010] dendrite growth region from the maximum weld pool width to the end due to crystallography-dependent growth kinetics. Moreover, strict control of low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) beneficially promotes fine dendrite trunk spacing and reduces the size of dendrite growth regions. High heat input (high laser power and low welding speed) monotonically coarsens dendrite trunk spacing. The dendrite trunk spacing is refined and [100] dendrite growth is suppressed by the optimum low heat input and (001) and [100] welding configuration to improve weldability. An alternative mechanism of solidification cracking because of asymmetrical dendrite trunk growth is proposed. The useful results facilitate understanding of single-crystal superalloys microstructure development and solidification cracking phenomena. The theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. Moreover, the model is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties by feasible laser welding or laser cladding.

The thermal metallurgical modeling of alloying aluminum redistribution was further developed through couple of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, multicomponent dendrtie grwoth model and nonequilibrium solidification model during three-dimensional nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification over a wide range of welding conditions (laser power, welding speed and welding configuration) to facilitate understanding of solidification cracking phenomena. It is indicated that the welding configuration plays more important role than heat input in aluminum redistribution. The bimodal distribution of solid aluminum concentration along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically symmetrical about the weld pool centerline for (001) and [100] welding configuration, while the distribution of solid aluminum concentration along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically asymmetrical throughout the weld pool for (001) and [110] welding configuration. The size of vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region is beneficially suppressed in favor of epitaxial [001] dendrite growth region through optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) to facilitate single-crystal dendrite growth for successful crack-free weld at the expense of shallow weld pool geometry. The overall aluminum concentration in (001) and [100] welding configuration is significantly smaller than that of (001) and [110] welding configuration regardless of heat input. Severe aluminum enrichment is confined to [100] dendrite growth region where is more susceptible to solidification cracking. Heat input and welding configuration are optimized in order to minimize the solidification cracking susceptibility and improve microstructure stability. The relationship between welding conditions and alloying aluminum redistribution are established for solidification cracking susceptibility evaluation. The higher heat input is used, the more aluminum enrichment is monotonically incurred by diffusion with considerable increase of metallurgical driving forces for morphology instability and microstructure anomalies to deteriorate weldability and vice versa. The mechanism of asymmetrical solidification cracking because of crystallography-dependent alloying redistribution is proposed. The theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. Moreover, the useful modeling is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties during laser welding or laser cladding.

The thermal metallurgical modeling by coupling of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) model and nonequilibrium solidification model was further developed to numerically analyze stray grain formation and solidification temperature range on the basis of three criteria of constitutional undercooling, marginal stability of planar front and minimum growth velocity during multicomponent nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification. It is indicated that the primary γ gamma phase microstructure development and solidification cracking susceptibility along the solid/liquid interface are symmetrically distributed throughout the weld pool in (001) and [100] welding configuration. The microstructure development and solidification cracking susceptibility along the solid/liquid interface are asymmetrically distributed in (001) and [110] welding configuration. Appropriate low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) simultaneously minimizes stray grain formation, grain boundary misorientation and solidification temperature range in the vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region and beneficially maintains single-crystal nature of the material in the [001] epitaxial dendrite growth region to improve the cracking resistance, while high heat input (high laser power and low welding speed) increases the solidification cracking susceptibility to deteriorate weldability and weld integrity. The solidification temperature range in (001) and [110] welding configuration is detrimentally wider than that of (001) and [100] welding configuration due to crystallographic orientation of dendrite growth regardless of heat input. The mechanism of asymmetrical crystallography-dependant solidification cracking because of nonequilibrium solidification behavior is proposed. The elliptical and shallow weld pool shape is less susceptible to solidification cracking for successful crack-free laser welding. Moreover, the promising theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The useful modeling is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties during laser welding or laser cladding.

Both surface and internal microstructures of a second-generation Ni-based single crystal (SX) superalloy were studied after creep and rejuvenation heat treatment (RHT). It is indicated that the microstructures, such as the dislocation network, the γ phase and the γ' phase, can be recovered to those after the standard heat treatment (SHT). It is found that RHT affected zone (RAZ) formed at the surface is composed of the γ'-free layer, the transition layer and the recrystallization (RX), which are less than 20 μm in depth totally. Such depth of the RAZ doesn’t affect the properties of the superalloy. The morphology of γ' phase at the RAZ is related to the composition of the elements. The average creep life after RHT is close to the average life after SHT. It is concluded that RHT could effectively repair SX parts and increase the total life of the sample after a damage by creep.

The thermal-metallurgical model of primary γ gamma phase through couple of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) model, multicomponent dendrite growth model and nonequilibrium solidification model is further developed on the basis of criteria of minimum growth velocity, constitutional undercooling and marginal stability of planar front during nickel-based single-crystal weld pool solidification. It is clearly indicated that crystallographic orientation plays more important role than heat input in microstructure development and solidification behavior. The dendrite trunk spacing and solidification temperature range along the solid/liquid interface are symmetrically distributed about the weld pool centerline in (001) and [100] welding configuration, while they are asymmetrically distributed in (001) and [110] welding configuration. The dendrite size and solidification temperature range are beneficially smaller in (001) and [100] welding configuration than that of (001) and [110] welding configuration regardless of heat input. The mechanism of asymmetrical solidification cracking because of crystallography-dependent growth kinetics and solidification behavior is proposed. Optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) refines dendrite size and suppresses the solidification temperature range to minimize the solidification cracking susceptibility and ameliorate the weldability through microstructure control, while high heat input (high laser power and low welding speed) deteriorates the weldability and weld integrity. It is therefore imperative to optimize the welding conditions for successful defect-free laser welding. Moreover, the promising theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The useful model is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties by laser welding or laser cladding, and provide a more accurate and reliable way of solidification cracking susceptibility evaluation.

The thermal metallurgical modeling of liquid aluminum supersaturation was further developed through couple of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, multicomponent dendrite growth model and nonequilibrium solidification model during three-dimensional nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification. The welding configuration plays more important role in supersaturation of liquid aluminum, morphology instability and nonequilibrium partition behavior. The bimodal distribution of liquid aluminum supersaturation along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically symmetrical about the weld pool centerline in (001) and [100] welding configuration. The distribution of liquid aluminum supersaturation along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically asymmetrical throughout the weld pool in (001) and [110] welding configuration. Optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) with (001) and [100] welding configuration is more favored to predominantly promote epitaxial [001] dendrite growth to reduce the metallurgical factors for solidification cracking than that of high heat input (high laser power and slow welding speed) with (001) and [110] welding configuration. The lower the heat input is used, the lower supersaturation of liquid aluminum is imposed, and the smaller size of vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region is incurred to ameliorate solidification cracking susceptibility and vice versa. The overall supersaturation of liquid aluminum in (001) and [100] welding configuration is beneficially smaller than that of (001) and [110] welding configuration regardless of heat input, and is not thermodynamically relieved by gamma prime γˊ phase. (001) and [110] welding configuration is detrimental to weldability and deteriorates the solidification cracking susceptibility because of unfavorable crystallographic orientations and alloying aluminum enrichment. The mechanism of asymmetrical solidification cracking because of crystallography-dependent supersaturation of liquid aluminum is proposed. The eligible solidification cracking location is particularly confined in [100] dendrite growth region. Moreover, the theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The useful modeling is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties for laser welding or laser cladding. The thorough numerical analyses facilitate the understanding of weld pool solidification behavior, microstructure development and solidification cracking phenomena in the primary γ phase, and thereby optimize the welding conditions (laser power, welding speed and welding configuration) for successful crack-free laser welding.

The thermal-metallurgical modeling of microstructure development was further advanced during single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification by coupling of heat transfer model, columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) model and multicomponent dendrite growth model on the basis criteria of minimum dendrite velocity, constitutional undercooling and marginal stability of planar front. It is clearly indicated that heat input (laser power and welding speed) and welding configuration simultaneously influence the stray grain formation, columnar/equiaxed transition and dendrite growth. For beneficial (001) and [100] welding configuration, the microstructure development along the solid/liquid interface is symmetrically distributed about the weld pool centerline throughout the weld pool. Finer columnar in [001] epitaxial dendrite growth region is kinetically favored at the bottom of the weld pool. For detrimental (001) and [110] welding configuration, the microstructure development along the solid/liquid interface is asymmetrically distributed. The dendrite trunk spacing along the solid/liquid interface from the beginning to end of solidification morphologically increases on the left side of the weld pool, while it spontaneously decreases on the right side. The vulnerable location of solidification cracking is confined in the [100] dendrite growth region on the right side of the weld pool because of increasing metallurgical contributing factors of severe stray grain formation, centerline grain boundary formation and coarse dendrite size. The mechanism of crystallography-dependent asymmetrical solidification cracking due to microstructure anomalies is proposed. It is crystallographically favorable for predominant morphology instability to deteriorate weldability. Active [100] dendrite growth region is diminished in the shallow elliptical weld pool by optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) with (001) and [100] welding configuration to essentially facilitate single-crystal solidification conditions and provide enough resistant to solidification cracking. Moreover, the theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The reliable weldability maps are therefore established to determine the prerequisite for successful crack-free laser welding or cladding. The useful model is also applicable for other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties.

Effect of solution treatment on the micropore and mechanical properties is investigated for the DD6 superalloy. The results show that solution treatment has positive and negative effects on the DD6...

Microstructural evolution of a nickel-base single-crystal superalloy during homogenisation at ultra-high temperature has been investigated using scanning electron microscope and electron probe micr...

Based on the physical phenomenon that the fatigue cracks initiate along specific slip plane, a slip plane damage based low cycle fatigue (LCF) lifetime model for the nickel- based single crystal superalloy is established. The predicted results indicate that the lifetime model can reflect the orientation effect. In addition, in order to characterize the dwell time dependence of the LCF lifetime, creep damage and compression-creep damage are introduced to the lifetime model. Finally, the lifetime predictions under LCF loading with tensile dwell time, compressive dwell time and LCF with tensile-compressive dwell time are conducted by employing the lifetime mode, respectively. The predicted lifetimes show a good agreement with the experimental data, which verifies the accuracy of the developed lifetime model in this paper.

We have studied the large-scale plasticity assisted topological inversion in a Ni-based superalloy after creep at 850 °C. Multi-scale characterization from the micro- to the near-atomic scale was used to unravel the processes governing topological inversion of a Ni-based single crystal superalloy and reconstruct the resulting three-dimensional microstructure. A plasticity assisted redistribution of interacting solutes mechanism, where shearing dislocations mass-transport solutes, is proposed to explain the transition from a rafted to intricately interconnected (inverted) structure. The interplay between microstructural evolution and mechanical behavior is discussed in terms of applied stress and microstructural features, relating atomic-scale processes to macro-scale behavior.

Nickel base single crystal superalloy is widely used in hot end parts of aeroengine because of its excellent creep, fatigue and oxidation resistance. In the face of strong market demand and the emergence of new technologies and methods, in 2019, nickel-based single crystal superalloys have made remarkable achievements in preparation and heat treatment processes, repair techniques, test methods, characterization methods, theoretical simulation analysis and composition design, which continuously promotes the development of nickel base single crystal superalloy to the direction of high performance and low cost. The present work reviews the progresses from preparation and heat treatment process, repair technology of service alloy structure, service evaluation of alloy, high flux composition design. The progress in the design, preparation and engineering application of superalloy materials will eventually promote the development of a new generation of aeroengine.

The effects of etching on the surface integrities and the high cycle fatigue properties of DD6 single-crystal superalloy were investigated. The standard heat treated DD6 specimens were etched twice and four times using HCl/H2O2 solution, respectively, and the three-dimensional surface topography of specimens etched for different times was observed by Leica DCM8 confocal microscope and SEM. After that, the specimens with different surface states were subjected to high cycle fatigue testing at 760 °C and 980 °C in ambient atmosphere, respectively. The results showed that the surface of un-etched specimens had many longitudinal and parallel fine scratches which were caused by polishing, and the surface roughness was very low. Etching caused the occurrence of etching pits in the interdendritic areas, and with the increase in etching time, both the depth of the etching pits and the surface roughness increased. Moreover, the fatigue properties of the alloy were reduced after etching. The fatigue properties decreased with the increase in etching time. Etching was found to play a significant role on the high stress amplitude zone, while a smaller influence on the low stress amplitude zone. Compared with the results at 980 °C, the fatigue properties of the alloy at 760 °C were more affected by etching. The fatigue limits at 760 °C of the alloy after etching can be well predicted by the $$ \sqrt {\text{area}} $$ parameter model.

This study investigates the inner quality including microdefects, orientation deviation and dendrite spacing of DD6 single-crystal superalloy with different drawing velocities. The XRD, SEM, electron probe microanalyzer methods and mechanical properties were used to evaluate the defects and microstructures, related to their evolution mechanism in DD6 superalloy. It was found that the drawing velocity of 80 μm/s can obtain a 4° deviation angle from the 〈001〉 orientation, less microdefects and well tensile properties. With drawing velocity increasing from 30 to 150 μm/s, PDAS decreases from 471 to 359 μm, respectively. Moreover, the shrinkage porosity decreases firstly and then increases due to different feeding conditions. In addition, the segregation of the solute elements increases and promotes the content of γ/γ′ eutectic, which deteriorate the mechanical properties. The research results can provide a basis for the development of high-quality single-crystal blades.

In fatigue life prediction of single crystal gas turbine blades, the risk of rapid crystallographic crack growth along the close-packed planes poses a large uncertainty. A criterion is proposed to predict the transition from mode I to crystallographic crack growth, which is necessary for reliable prediction of the number of cycles from crack initiation to the onset of crystallographic crack growth. The proposed criterion is calibrated against tests performed under a wide range of conditions representative for a gas turbine blade, including isothermal fatigue crack growth tests and thermomechanical fatigue crack growth tests, some including hold times and pre-test aging. Funding agencies: The work has been supported financially by Siemens Energy AB in Finspång, Sweden and the Swedish Energy Agency, via the Research Consortium of Materials Technology for Thermal Energy Processes, Grant No. KME-702.

International audience; VHCF properties of the Ni-based single crystal superalloy AM1 with pre-deformation have been investigated at 1000 °C. Pre-deformed material did not present life debit under fully reversed conditions (R = −1). Pre-deformation decreased VHCF lifetime under high mean stress conditions (R = 0.5) with a shift from internal to mode I surface crack initiation. The pre-deformed material has microstructure coarsened bands lying on the former {1 1 1} slip planes, facilitating microstructure shearing during VHCF at R = 0.5. Slip traces increased surface roughness, causing a surface recrystallization and initiation of the fatal crack from the surface. Rejuvenation heat treatment after pre-deformation can restore the microstructure and the fatigue life.

Generally, elevated solution heat treatment temperature decreases the residual dendritic segregation of refractory elements (i.e. Re and W) and suppresses the precipitation of deleterious topologically close-packed (TCP) phases in Ni-based superalloys. However, in the present study, elevated solution temperature resulted in an abnormal increase of TCP phases in a Ni-based single crystal superalloy after long-term thermal exposure at 900 °C. Microstructural analysis suggested that higher supersaturation in γ phase which promoted the formation of TCP phases was induced by the increased γ′ precipitation after heat treated at elevated solution temperature.

Ni-based single crystal (SC) superalloys are widely applied in the turbine blades of advanced aero-engine due to their excellent heat resistance. Rafting is a major degradation mode of SC under creep damage. In this study, the morphology evolution and probability characteristic of shape parameters are investigated for cuboidal γ´ phase during creep rafting. Three groups of SC creep tests are carried out at 850 °C and 600 Mpa along [001] direction. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) is used to observe the microstructure of SC at four different creep times including 0 h, 8 h, 16 h and 64 h. In addition, an image processing program is developed to identify the length (normal to uniaxial stress) and width (parallel to the stress) of each γ´ phase. Two interesting findings of this investigation can be summarized as: 1) During the N-type rafting of SC, the vertical matrix channel widths are gradually decreased, and the γ phases near the vertex of the cuboidal γ´ phases disappear 2) The length, width of γ´ phases both obey lognormal distributions during creep rafting, and the standard deviations change slightly for the width, but increase significantly for the length. These above findings are of significance to multi-scale probability modeling for creep deformation and fracture.

The global objective of this study was to systematically research the rule and mechanism how surface roughness affects the fatigue property of nickel-based single crystal superalloy. Fatigue tests of specimen with various levels of surface roughness were conducted at 980 °C and measured surface topography models were used to perform FE analysis based on crystal plasticity theory and fatigue damage model considering the resolved shear stress and slip rate of slip systems. Eventually, an geometrical equivalent simplification model with surface roughness parameters R z , R sm and R a as modeling parameters for predicting fatigue life more convenient is proposed. Results indicate that micro-defects caused by surface roughness generate stress, plastic strain and damage concentration under fatigue load, which generate fatigue crack initiation, and greater surface roughness produces more severe concentration. The error between simulation prediction life and test result is within 3 times error band.

The high temperature low cycle fatigue behavior of specimens manufactured from a single crystalline nickel base superalloy processed by selective electron beam melting (SEBM) has been investigated with respect to the effect of different heat treatments. The fatigue lifetime of heat treated material was significantly higher than that of as-built material. Applying hot isostatic pressing (HIP) with an integrated heat treatment resulted in even longer fatigue life. Lifetime limiting crack initiation occurred at interfaces of melting layers, at micro-porosity generated during solidification or, in HIP treated samples, at precipitates which formed at the location of collapsed pores.

Interfacial grooving induced by dislocation stress takes place at γ/γ′ interfaces during creep and aging of a third-generation nickel-based single crystal superalloy at 1120 °C. At the tip of grooves, γ′ phase is directly measured under compressive stress of interfacial dislocations, which likely drives the γ′-forming elements out. The enrichment of Re and Co elements are detected in the tip. Meanwhile, γ′ precipitates coarsen much faster when more grooves form at the interfaces along the coarsening direction. This suggests that interfacial grooves facilitate the rafting of γ′ precipitates, especially under the creep stress.

γ′-Strengthened Co-base single crystal superalloy was jointed with B-Ni76CrWB alloy powder by transient liquid phase bonding. The growth mechanism of the borides of preferred orientation formed in the diffusion affect zone of the joint was investigated. Results indicated that the prepared borides were (Co,W,Ta)3B2 and were long plate-shaped in three dimensions. The preferred growth orientation of the borides in the diffusion affect zone of transient liquid phase joint was 〈0 0 1〉 matrix, enjoying a significant orientation relationship with the substrate.

Elevated temperature creep behaviors at 1100 °C over a wide stress regime of 120–174 MPa of a third-generation Ni-based single crystal superalloy were studied. With a reduced stress from 174 to 120 MPa, the creep life increased by a factor of 10.5, from 87 h to 907 h, presenting a strong stress dependence. A splitting phenomenon of the close- (about 100 nm) and sparse- (above 120 nm) spaced dislocation networks became more obvious with increasing stress. Simultaneously, a0 superdislocations with low mobilities were frequently observed under a lower stress to pass through γ′ precipitates by a combined slip and climb of two a0 superpartials or pure climb. However, a0 superdislocations with higher mobility were widely found under a higher stress, which directly sheared into γ′ precipitates. Based on the calculated critical resolved shear stresses for various creep mechanisms, the favorable creep mechanism was systematically analyzed. Furthermore, combined with the microstructural evolutions during different creep stages, the dominant creep mechanism changed from the dislocation climbing to Orowan looping and precipitates shearing under a stress regime of 137–174 MPa, while the dislocation climbing mechanism was operative throughout the whole creep stage under a stress of 120 MPa, resulting a superior creep performance.

Low-cycle fatigue tests on [001], [011] and [1¯11] Ni-based single crystal superalloys were conducted at 900°C under a constant plastic strain control. Cracks will more readily propagate between th...

The deformation and damage features of a high Mo single crystal Ni-based superalloy during creep at high temperature are investigated by means of measuring creep properties and observing microstructure. Results show that, compared to 4%Mo single crystal nickel-based superalloy, the 6%Mo superalloy displays a better creep resistance, and the creep life of 6%Mo single crystal superalloy at 1040°C/137MPa is measured to be 556 h. In the ranges of applied temperatures and stresses, the creep activation energy of the alloy is measured to be 484.7kJ/mol. Wherein, the deformation mechanisms of the 6%Mo superalloy during steady state creep are dislocations slipping in ϒ matrix and climbing over the rafted ϒ' phase. In the later stage of creep, the deformation mechanism of alloy is dislocations shearing into the rafted ϒ' phase, the alternate activation of dislocations slipping results in the twisted of the rafted ϒ'/ϒ phases, as the creep goes on, to promote the initiation and propagation of cracks along the interface of the twisted ϒ/ϒ' phase perpendicular to the stress axis, up to creep fracture, which is thought to be the damage and fracture features of the alloy during creep at high temperature.

The morphologies and distributions of dislocation networks in Ni-based single crystal superalloys crept at 1100 °C and a large stress range from 120 to 174 MPa were investigated. The γ/γ′ lattice misfit at 1100 °C was calculated using the Vegard's law, where the γ- and γ′-compositions were quantified by 3D Atom Probe Tomography. The results indicated that the distribution of dislocation network showed a strong stress dependence. Two parts of dislocation networks, namely close- and sparse-spaced configurations, were observed. Further, the dislocation network spacings’ analysis revealed that the close-spaced network (about 100 nm) mainly depended on the γ/γ′ lattice misfit (−0.2910 ± 0.0564)%, which was almost independent of stress. However, the sparse-spaced network (above 120 nm) might be attributed to the larger creep strain flows under higher stresses, which presented a strong stress dependence. It was demonstrated that the γ/γ′ lattice misfit played a key role in elevated temperature and low stress creep.

In order to improve the composition and microstructure of nickel-base single crystal superalloys, equilibrium phases of third generation single crystal superalloys RenéN6 and CMSX-10 have been researched by using thermodynamic calculation software JMatPro. The calculated results indicated that the two superalloys have the same equilibrium phases, such as liquid phase, γ phase, γ’ phase and TCP (topologically close-packed phases), however, there are differences in the quantity and temperature range. RenéN6 alloy has higher content of μ phase. And CMSX-10 alloy has higher γ’ phase precipitation temperature and more γ’ phase precipitates.

Intermediate temperature creep properties are considered a key indicator of single crystal superalloys used for turbine blades of aircraft engines. The interrupted and ruptured creep tests were carried out in a second generation single crystal superalloy under the conditions of 760°C/785MPa. The creep rupture life as well as minimum creep rate were also in the same level of those in CMSX-4 and PWA1484. The microstructural evolution at different creep stages were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed the γ’ phases kept the cuboid morphology mostly until the creep rupture, and super lattice stacking faults (SSFs) extended along [-1 1 0] and [-1-1 0] orientations within the γ’ precipitate were the typical dislocation configuration.

As an advanced material forming method, additive manufacturing (AM) has been rapidly developed in many industry fields. Due to the non-weldability of nickel-based single crystal (SX) superalloys and complex solidification and stress conditions of AM process, hot cracks can easily form in depositions. Previous research focused on the additive manufacturing of single-track thin-walled SX samples, while effective solutions to fabricate crack-free multi-track SX block samples are still limited. Directed energy deposition (DED) technique was used to fabricate multi-track block samples in this work. The effects of the overlapping ratio, scanning velocity, and laser power on the microstructure and cracking susceptibility were analyzed. The experimental results demonstrated that improper process parameters play significant roles in the formation of high-angle grain boundaries and large internal stress, both of which will increase the cracking susceptibility. Crack-free SX multi-track block was successfully fabricated after adjusting the process parameters. These findings provide a guide to reduce the cracking susceptibility by controlling the process parameters, which aids in fabrication of large-scale crack-free SX blocks through DED technique.

In this study, the difference between in-phase (IP) and out-of-phase (OP) thermomechanical fatigue (TMF) cycling at 100–850 °C of a single-crystal superalloy is investigated both from a mechanical response and resulting microstructure perspective. Results indicate that there is no significant difference in fatigue lives between IP and OP TMF when similar strain ranges and crystal orientations are considered. The deformation mechanisms occurring during IP and OP TMF are similar where the main deformation mechanism for this alloy is localized deformation bands and crack initiation is preferred to these bands. Other TMF mechanisms, such as recrystallization and oxidation, are also discussed.

Fatigue life variability of a newly developed third-generation Ni-based single crystal superalloy resulting from different solution heat treatment procedures has been investigated in low cycle fatigue (T = 650 °C/Rσ = 0.05/f = 0.5 Hz), high cycle fatigue (T = 950 °C/Rσ = 0.05/f = 72 Hz), and very high cycle fatigue (T = 1,000 °C/Re = −1/f = 20 kHz). Special attention has been paid to the amount of γ/γ ′ eutectics, the dendritic chemical homogeneity, the casting pore size and, the presence of incipient melting areas. At fixed pore size, the chemical homogeneity across the dendritic structure is shown to be the main parameter controlling both low and high cycle fatigue through its effect on the yield stress at 650 °C, and oxidation resistance at 950 °C, respectively. While a greater variability is also obtained in very high cycle fatigue with a worse dendritic chemical homogeneity, the casting pore size remains the main parameter controlling fatigue life in the studied conditions. No detrimental impact of incipient melting on the fatigue life has been examined under these three testing conditions.

After shot peening,single crystal superalloy specimens were subjected to thermal aging at different temperatures for 4h. The surface layer structures were observed, and the rotary bending fatigue performances with the notched structure at 650℃ were tested. The results showed that the deformed structure of the shot-peened single crystal superalloy surface recovered after aging at 870℃, exhibiting a little strengthening effect on the fatigue performance. After aging at 1000 - 1200℃, recrystallization structures appeared on the surface, and the depth and size of recrystallized grains increased with the aging temperature, decreasing the surface layer hardness. The recrystallized structure introduced by aging at 1200℃ decreased the notch fatigue life of single crystal superalloys by 68.2%.

The stray grains formation associated with constitutional supercooling during plasma re-melting of Ni-based single crystal superalloy is investigated based on the temperature field simulation and actual substrate orientation. The calculated melting pools and dendrite growth directions consist with the experimental results. The Gd and Vd distribute non-symmetrically, different from Gn and Vn. The Gd is lower while the Vd is higher in the region near the boundary of [ 1 − 00 ] and [ 0 1 − 0 ] dendrite zones. As a result, the Gd/Vd in this region is lower. The Gd/Vd evaluates the degree of constitutional supercooling and the threshold value 1.3 × 107 K s/m2 is obtained for the equiaxed stray grains formation. The equiaxed stray grains forming in the region with Gd/Vd lower than the threshold value are intimately associated with constitutional supercooling, while the stray grains generated in the region near the boundary of melting pool closest to the substrate are independent of that. The origin of stray grains outside these two regions is probably same as that in the region near the boundary of melting pool closest to the substrate. Meanwhile, the strip-shaped stray grains develop due to the active direction close to the direction of maximum temperature gradient.

We report on the full three-dimensional compositional partitioning among the features of a planar imperfection comprising a superlattice intrinsic stacking fault (SISF) with its leading and trailing partials, as well as the antiphase boundary (APB) in the wake of the trailing partial formed in the L12-ordered γ′ phase of a CoNi-based single crystal superalloy. The partial dislocations and the APB are found to be Cr/Co rich relative to the surrounding γ′ and richer in W/Ta/Ti compared to the γ matrix phase. Solute diffusion mechanisms are derived from the compositional gradients in the vicinity of the imperfection.

The formation of low-angle grain boundaries (LABs) in the rejoined platforms of a Ni-based single crystal superalloy under different directional solidification rates was investigated by the experimental investigation and the ProCAST simulation. The results showed that the growth morphology and orientation evolution of dendrites in the platforms were different under the withdrawal rates in the range of 60–100 μm/s and then resulted in different types of LABs. At lower withdrawal rates, the longitudinal LABs were common in the rejoined platforms. Both the sliver defects and the orientation deviation of original primary dendrites from two independent growth paths could cause the longitudinal LABs in the platforms. At higher withdrawal rates, the dendrite growth patterns were more complex and the secondary branches with lateral growth tended to deviate from their original orientation, eventually leading to the formation of some transverse LABs. Finally, some suggestions to prevent the formation of different LABs are provided.

Scanning speed is a critical parameter for laser process, which can play a key role in the microstructure evolution of laser melting. In the laser melting of single crystal superalloy, the effects of scanning speed were investigated by experimental analysis and computational simulation. The laser was scanning along [ 7 1 ¯ 0 ] direction on (001) surface in different speeds. Solidification microstructures of dendrites growth direction and the primary dendritic spacing were analyzed by metallograph. Besides, a planar interface during solidification was taken into attention. Experiment results indicated that the primary dendritic spacing and thickness of planar interface decrease with the increase of speed. Through simulation, distribution of dendrites growth velocity and thermal gradient along dendrite growth direction were calculated, and the simulation of dendrites growth direction agreed with the experiment results. Additionally, a constant value was acquired which can be used to predict the primary dendritic spacing. Moreover, according to curve-fitting method and inequality relation, a model was proposed to predict the thickness of planar interface.