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The effect of temperature over the range of ambient to 704 °C and strain rate from 10−4 to 10−2 s−1 on the tensile properties and fracture behavior of ATI 718Plus was investigated. The results showed that with increase in temperature at a strain rate 10−4 s−1, there is a small reduction in the yield strength, but a large drop in ductility at 704 °C. This reduction was accompanied by a change in fracture mode from ductile transgranular to brittle intergranular cracking. Detailed analysis of the microstructure and microchemistry of the areas around the crack using electron microscopy showed that the driving mechanism behind the failure at elevated temperatures and slow strain rates is oxygen-induced intergranular cracking, a dynamic embrittlement mechanism. In addition, the results suggest that the δ precipitates on the grain boundaries tend to oxidize and may facilitate the oxygen-induced intergranular cracking. Finally, an increase in strain rate at 704 °C caused a small increase in the yield strength and a huge increase in ductility. This increase in ductility was accompanied by a change in fracture mode from brittle-to-ductile failure. Possible mechanisms for the deformation, failure mechanisms, and strain rate dependence are discussed.

Using advanced aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy coupled with high-resolution energy-dispersive spectroscopy techniques, transitions to microstructure and composition occurring at a grain boundary (GB) crack-tip in Waspaloy after dwell-fatigue at 704 °C are characterized at the nano to atomic scale. The simple microstructure of this γ/γ′ superalloy, which enables elucidation of oxygen effect ahead of the oxide intrusion—dissolution of the precipitates fostering selective segregation of Al to the GB to form oxides—has been experimentally observed.

A dissimilar weld between a low alloy steel (LAS) butter weld joined to a F65 steel pipe using a narrow groove hot wire gas tungsten arc welding (HW-GTAW) procedure with Alloy 625 filler metal was investigated. The weld interpass microstructure is comprised of large swirls formed by a macrosegregation mechanism involving partial, non-uniform mixing of liquid base metal with the lower melting temperature weld pool, followed by fast solidification. This mechanism produces steep gradients in composition and solidification behavior. The resulting swirls are composed of alternating iron-rich peninsulas and partially mixed zones (PMXZ) that are surrounded by planar and cellular zones exhibiting multiple solidification directions. Large austenitic grains, encompassing planar, cellular, and dendritic morphologies, nucleate off peninsulas in direct contact with the weld pool. The highest hardness was found in nickel and chromium rich PMXZs that exhibited a lath martensite microstructure. In the event of exposure to hydrogen containing environments, the PMXZs could serve as nucleation sites for hydrogen assisted cracking.

In this study, we applied a series of surface analysis techniques to explore the structure and chemistry of the corrosion products built up at the interface of different materials, which is relevant to the permanent disposal of world-wide high-level nuclear waste. Metallic alloys, amorphous glass, and crystalline ceramics are typical candidate nuclear waste forms planned for immobilizing and isolating the dangerous radionuclides enriched in the waste. The near-field corrosion interactions between these dissimilar materials are the focus of this study. The experiments were performed by corroding metallic alloys in intimate proximity to glass or ceramics in Cl--containing solutions at 90 oC. The exposed materials were subsequently subjected to comprehensive surface characterization using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry, and Raman/infrared spectroscopy analysis. The systematic study revealed localized damage on the alloy surface due to crevice corrosion. Interestingly, localized corrosion was also identified on the surface of some glasses and ceramics that were present nearby, while an inhibition effect was observed in other systems. These interactions were found to strongly depend on the type of materials and environment, which led to different corrosion phenomena.

Atomistic processes governing the high-temperature strength of structural materials were accurately characterized and modeled., It has long been known that solute segregation at crystalline defects can have profound effects on material properties. Nevertheless, quantifying the extent of solute segregation at nanoscale defects has proven challenging due to experimental limitations. A combined experimental and first-principles approach has been used to study solute segregation at extended intermetallic phases ranging from 4 to 35 atomic layers in thickness. Chemical mapping by both atom probe tomography and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy demonstrates a markedly different composition for the 4–atomic-layer–thick phase, where segregation has occurred, compared to the approximately 35–atomic-layer–thick bulk phase of the same crystal structure. First-principles predictions of bulk free energies in conjunction with direct atomistic simulations of the intermetallic structure and chemistry demonstrate the breakdown of bulk thermodynamics at nanometer dimensions and highlight the importance of symmetry breaking due to the proximity of interfaces in determining equilibrium properties.

Samples of Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIPped) powder of TIMETAL 6-4 (Ti-6Al-4V, compositions in wt pct unless indicated), which was HIPped at 1203 K (930 °C), and of forged bar stock, which was slowly cooled from above the beta transus, were both subsequently held at 773 K (500 °C) for times up to 5 weeks and analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and atom probe analysis. It has been shown that in the samples aged for 5 weeks at 773 K (500 °C), there is a high density of alpha2 (α2, an ordered phase based on the composition Ti3Al) precipitates, which are typically 5 nm in size, and a significantly smaller density was present in the slowly cooled samples. The fatigue and tensile properties of samples aged for 5 weeks at 773 K (500 °C) have been compared with those of the HIPped powder and of the forged samples which were slowly cooled from just above the transus, and although no significant difference was found between the fatigue properties, the tensile strength of the aged samples was 5 pct higher than that of the as-HIPped and slowly cooled forged samples. The ductility of the forged samples did not decrease after aging at 773 K (500 °C) despite the strength increase. Transmission electron microscopy has been used to assess the nature of dislocations generated during tensile and fatigue deformation and it has been found that not just is planar slip observed, but dislocation pairs are not uncommon in samples aged at 773 K (500 °C) and some are seen in slowly cooled Ti6Al4V.

The present work investigates the effect of grain boundary chemistry and crystallography on creep and on creep damage accumulation in Cu–0.008 wt.% Bi and Cu–0.92 wt.% Sb at stresses ranging from 10 to 20 MPa and temperatures between 773 and 873 K. Small additions of Bi and Sb significantly reduce the rupture strain and rupture time during creep of Cu. High stress exponents (Cu–Bi) and high apparent activation energies for creep (Cu–Bi and Cu–Sb) are obtained. Sb promotes creep cavitation on random high-angle grain boundaries. Bi, on the other hand, causes brittle failure when small crack-like cavities cause decohesion. Both elements suppress dynamic recrystallization, which occurs during creep of Cu at high stresses and temperatures.

The compositional and microstructural evolution of different generations of precipitates of the ordered γ′ phase during the continuous cooling, followed by isothermal aging, of a commercial nickel-base superalloy, Rene 88DT, has been characterized by three-dimensional atom probe (3DAP) tomography coupled with energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) studies. After solutionizing in the single γ-phase field, during continuous cooling at a relatively slow rate (~24 °C/min), the first-generation primary γ′ precipitates, forming at relatively higher temperatures, exhibit near-equilibrium compositions, while the smaller-scale secondary γ′ precipitates, forming at lower temperatures, exhibit nonequilibrium compositions often containing an excess of Co and Cr while being depleted in Al and Ti content. The compositions of the γ matrix near these precipitates also exhibit similar trends, with the composition being closer to equilibrium near the primary precipitates as compared to the secondary precipitates. Subsequent isothermal aging at 760 °C leads to coarsening of the primary γ′ precipitates without affecting their composition significantly. In contrast, the composition of the secondary γ′ precipitates is driven toward equilibrium during the isothermal aging process.

Constant-load creep experiments at a temperature of 750 °C and a nominal stress of 300 MPa were conducted on a fine-grained Ti–45Al–5Nb–0.2B–0.2C (in at.%) alloy with a duplex microstructure. Microstructures before and after creep (accumulated strain: 9.6%) were analyzed using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM). TEM analysis after creep indicates that the individual microstructural constituents of the fine duplex microstructure, namely, the equiaxed γ and the lamellar α2/γ colonies, undergo varying degrees of deformation and develop various substructures. Lamellar grains deform by dislocation creep. They show clear evidence for dislocation and twin activity. In contrast, only few dislocations are found in the equiaxed grains. We show that the regions with small equiaxed γ grains, representing 65–75 vol.% of the microstructure, deform by grain-boundary sliding.

Single crystal sheets of niobium with initial orientations of (0 0 1) [ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] , (1 1 0) [ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] and (1 1 1) [ 1 1 ¯ 0 ] were rolled at room temperature in the strain range of 25–50%. The deformed specimens were vacuum annealed at temperatures of 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C for 3 h. TEM, SEM-OIM and optical microscopy revealed orientation stability in (0 0 1) and (1 1 0) rolled samples with no recrystallization observed after annealing. Samples rolled along (1 1 1) partially recrystallized after annealing at 1000 °C and 1200 °C. A relatively small increase was observed in hardness of (0 0 1) rolled crystals between 25% and 50% strain, implying low work hardening rates. (1 1 1) rolled samples showed higher hardening rates, and enhanced recovery in hardness values after annealing, due to partial recrystallization. Conditions have been identified for the deformation and annealing of niobium single crystals, enabling the preservation of single crystal structure and near-complete recovery of mechanical properties. A simple crystallographic model is proposed, giving an explanation for the observed orientation stability in (0 0 1) and (1 1 0) rolled samples, and the tendency towards instability and recrystallization in (1 1 1) rolled samples.

The chemical partitioning of alloying elements between the disordered γ and ordered γ′ phases in the nickel-base superalloy Rene 88 DT, has been characterized in detail using three-dimensional atom probe tomography (3DAP) coupled with energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) studies. After a homogenization treatment followed by a water quench, it is observed that the morphology of the γ′ precipitates remains near spherical even after long aging times. Compositional variation, observed between small (

It has been recently shown that microtwinning is the principal deformation mechanism under certain creep conditions in several polycrystalline nickel-base superalloys. A creep model based on this mechanism is developed in this paper. Model parameters, supplied by microscopy and by atomistic calculations, are used to compare the model against experiment.

The development of a set of computational tools that permit microstructurally based predictions for the tensile properties of commercially important titanium alloys, such as Ti-6Al-4V, is a valuable step toward the accelerated maturation of materials. This paper will discuss the development of neural network models based on a Bayesian framework to predict the yield and ultimate tensile strengths of Ti-6Al-4V at room temperature. The development of such rules-based model requires the population of extensive databases, which in the present case are microstructurally based. The steps involved in database development include producing controlled variations of the microstructure using novel approaches to heat treatments, the use of standardized stereology protocols to characterize and quantify microstructural features rapidly, and mechanical testing of the heat-treated specimens. These databases have been used to train and test neural network models for prediction of tensile properties. In addition, these models have been used to identify the influence of individual microstructural features on the tensile properties, consequently guiding the efforts toward development of more robust mechanistically based models. Based on the neural network model, it is possible to investigate the influence of individual microstructural features on the tensile properties, and in certain cases these dependencies can point toward unrecognized phenomena. For example, the apparently unexpected trend of increase in tensile strength with increasing prior β-grain size has led to the determination of the pronounced role of the basketweave microstructure in strengthening these alloys, especially in case of larger prior β grains.

Titanium alloys are widely used in various industrial, domestic, and medical applications such as turbine blades, bicycle frames, knee implants, etc. The two-phase titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V (wt. percent) is considered to be a workhorse alloy for many applications in these diverse fields. Despite the large body of work on this alloy, the question of the transformation mechanism from the hcp a to the bcc b phase, occurring on heating to temperatures above the a/b transus at ~980°C, is still unresolved. Due to experimental difficulties, it has not yet been clearly determined whether the increase in b volume fraction occurs by fresh nucleation of b crystals within a phase grains or the growth of preexisting b grains. Since the Burgers orientation relationship holds only if the b grains are nucleated within the a grains, the outcome of this question greatly affects texture-modeling efforts for this system. The Burgers orientation relationship predicts that the {0001} crystal direction in a grain of the a phase becomes a {110} crystal direction in a grain of the b phase after the transformation. In this work we present experimental results from in-situ texture measurements performed on the HIPPO neutron diffractometer at LANSCE. Using the combination of time-offlight neutrons and full-pattern Rietveld analysis allowed us to determine the orientation distribution functions of both phases at room temperature, 800°C, 1020°C and again at room temperature. We found strong indications that the b phase indeed grows from grains preexisting at room temperature. Upon re-transformation from b to a we found that the Burgers relationship is followed.

Creep deformation substructures in superalloy Rene 88 DT have been investigated at two applied stress levels after small-strain (0.5%) creep at 650 °C using conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Clear differences in creep strength and substructures have been observed as a function of applied stress. It has been established that at intermediate temperatures microtwinning caused by the passage of Shockley partial dislocations on successive {1 1 1} planes is the dominant deformation process at low applied stress. At higher applied stress the mechanism changes to planar shearing of the matrix by 1/2〈1 1 0〉 unit dislocations and Orowan looping of the precipitates. Detailed experimental evidences for these operating processes are shown and possible explanation is provided.

Creep deformation substructures in the superalloy Rene 88 DT have been investigated after small-strain (0.2–0.5%) creep at 650 °C using conventional and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Clear differences in creep strength and deformation mechanisms have been observed as a function of applied stress and precipitate microstructure. Both coarse and fine bimodal precipitate microstructures have been tested, produced by relatively slow and fast cooling from the supersolvus solutionizing temperature. The finer γ′ microstructure exhibited significantly lower creep rates. It has been established that microtwinning caused by the passage of Shockley partial dislocations on successive {1 1 1} planes is the dominant deformation process at low applied stress, and changes to shearing by 1/2[1 1 0] dislocations and Orowan looping around the larger secondary precipitates at higher applied stress. In the coarser microstructure, the dominant deformation mode is isolated faulting where 1/2[1 1 0] dislocations shear the matrix while superlattice extrinsic stacking faults are created in the secondary γ′ particles. The detailed mechanisms by which these deformation modes proceed are discussed, leading to the proposition that the thermally activated process for both microtwinning and isolated faulting is similar, involving diffusion-mediated re-ordering within the γ′ particles in the wake of shearing 1/6〈1 1 2〉 Shockley partials. Based on the present evidence, it is proposed that the tertiary γ′ volume fraction is crucial in dictating the transition in mechanism and the creep strength of these alloys.

In this paper, we describe an on-going effort to develop a thin film combinatorial method for identifying alloy compositions of potential interest as structural materials. To investigate this idea, compositionally graded Ti–Al thin films have been sputter deposited onto Si substrates, and the mechanical properties of the “library” of compositions are then probed using nanoindentation. This combinatorial method offers the possibility of rapidly varying the compositions and microstructures of alloys and quickly determining the compositions and microstructures of greatest interest for further development as bulk structural alloys. Nanoindentation experiments are used to extract the properties of the film so that the bulk properties of the material may be estimated. A new method for extracting the hardness of films on substrates from nanoindentation experiments has been developed and is applied to the compositionally graded Ti–Al thin films. Together with the nanoindentation data and a compositional analysis, we are able to establish a relationship between the hardness of the film and the composition. We discuss the results of these combinatorial experiments in connection with estimating the properties of bulk materials.

Crept microstructures in g-TiAl based alloys reveal a preponderance of 1/2[110]-type jogged-screw dislocations, suggesting that the rate of creep deformation is controlled by the glide of such dislocations. A creep model based on these microstructural observations has been recently developed. This leads to an excellent prediction of creep rates and stress exponents. In this paper, the framework of this model including the verification and validation of the functional dependencies of various microstructural model parameters is reviewed. It has also been observed that creep phenomenology is extremely sensitive to microstructure – fully lamellar g-based alloys exhibit lower creep rates and higher stress exponents even though the deformation microstructure is similar to that in equiaxed alloys. The modifications made to the model that account for the constrained nature of deformation in lamellar alloys are discussed. The applicability of the model is explored in materials systems, including a-Ti and a+b Ti alloys where similar creep exponents and deformation structures have been observed. Finally, the relevance, applicability and shortcomings of the model are critically analyzed.

On the basis of microstructural observation of 1/2[1 1 0]-type jogged-screw dislocations, it has been previously proposed that the creep deformation mechanism in equiaxed γ-Ti–48Al alloys is controlled by the climb of the jogs on these dislocations. This is validated by predictions from a creep model based on these observations. However, several assumptions made in the model were not fully substantiated by experiment or theory. The aim of this study is to verify and validate the parameters and functional dependencies assumed in the model. In addition, the original solution has been reformulated to take into account the finite height of the moving jog. The substructural model parameters have been further investigated in light of this reformulation. The stress dependence of dislocation density, jog spacing and jog height has been evaluated via simulations, analytical modeling and experimental observations. Combining all of these parameters and dependencies in a reformulated model leads to an excellent prediction of creep rates and stress exponents.

The effect of trace levels of Ni on the intermediate temperature creep behavior of the alloy Ti–6Al–2Sn–4Zr–2Mo (wt%) has been investigated. Creep experiments were performed in tension over the temperature range 510–565 °C at stress range 138–413 MPa. Two heats of commercial grade Ti–6Al–2Sn–4Zr–2Mo with Ni levels of 0.006 and 0.035 wt% were studied. The high Ni material uniformly exhibited higher primary creep strains and minimum strain rates than the lower Ni material. Stress exponents in the range 5–7 and 4–6 were obtained for the high Ni and low Ni material respectively. At 565 °C a transition to a low stress region with a stress exponent equal ∼1 is found for both materials. At all stress levels, the apparent activation energy was lower for the high Ni material. The apparent activation energy is in excellent agreement with those reported for lattice self-diffusion in α-titanium in the presence of fast diffusing impurities. The results also suggest that creep in the higher stress regime is controlled by dislocation motion within the α-phase. We suggest that trace levels of Ni in the α-phase accelerate self-diffusion therefore increasing the rate of dislocation climb leading to the higher creep rates observed in the high Ni material. In Part II, direct evidence in support of dislocation-based creep being important in both low and high stress regimes is presented.

Constant load creep tests are performed in Ti-6242(Si) alloy with a lath microstructure, at temperatures of 538 and 565 °C. A change in the stress exponent values from ~1 at low stresses to between 5 and 7 at high stresses, is indicative of a change in creep mechanism. TEM analysis indicates that the deformation is dominated by a -type 1 / 3 2 0 dislocations in the α phase, with little evidence of dislocation activity in the β laths. At higher stress (310 MPa), the a -type dislocations are pinned frequently along their screw direction by tall jogs. A creep model is proposed based on the premise that movement of these jogged screw dislocations may control the creep rate. In contrast, at low stress (172 MPa), the a -type dislocations have long straight screw segments with no apparent pinning points. The near-edge segments are in climb configurations. The creep rates here are close to those predicted, based on Harper–Dorn creep, although the dislocation density is larger than that normally associated with this regime.

Transmission Electron microscopy studies on crept samples of an equiaxed Ti–48Al alloy deformed to strains near the minimum strain rate show a microstructure dominated by unit 1/2[110] type dislocations. These dislocations are pinned by jogs of varying heights. The jogged-screw model is adopted, where the rate controlling step is assumed to be the non-conservative dragging of the jogs along the length of the screw dislocations. The presence of tall jogs and the existence of a stress-dependent upper bound to the height of tall jogs which can be dragged have been incorporated into the model. These modifications lead to excellent agreement with experimental data. The evolution of the creep curve is also qualitatively predicted. In contrast, lamellar structures show a highly inhomogeneous deformation behavior with dislocation activity in lamellae above a critical thickness and negligible activity below that limit. This limit is related to the minimum stress required to cause channeling of dislocations. The observation of jogged segments in the thicker lamellae suggests that a modification of the jogged-screw velocity law could be used by incorporating an effective stress approach. Qualitative analysis of a probable method of evaluating the creep rate is discussed. Finally, microstructural changes during the aging process in K5 and K5SC alloys have also been studied. Aging causes the dissolution of metastable α2. The effect of Si and C on the aging behavior and precipitation of the silicide and carbide particles during aging and following creep is discussed. These results suggest that microstructural stability is critically important in order to achieve the highest possible creep strengths.

Stress exponents for creep, in the range of 5, are typically associated with dislocation creep processes, normally associated with a strong tendency for subgrain formation. In this article, we will demonstrate that there are several important alloy systems that have similar stress dependence and, yet, lack this tendency for subgrain formation. Specifically, dislocations in the intermetallic compound γ-TiAl and the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) α phase of the commercial Ti alloy, Ti-6242, tend to be homogeneously distributed with a tendency for alignment along screw orientation. In both alloy systems, the screw dislocations exhibit a large density of pinning points, which detailed transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation indicate are locations of tall jogs. These observations suggest that the jogged-screw model for creep should be appropriate after suitable modification for the presence of these tall jogs. This modified jogged-screw (MJS) model is presented, together with a discussion of the assumptions made, and the results of this model are shown to compare favorably with experiment for both alloy systems. The possible criteria for the formation of tall jogs are also described, and the potential application of this modified model to other alloy systems is discussed.

The objective of this paper is to revisit the present status of the high temperature creep of alloys with particular reference to models based on the motion of jogged-screw dislocations. Models based on this concept have been previously attempted to describe the creep in pure metals and alloys (Barrett and Nix, Acta Metall., 13 (1965) 1247). Now, in light of emerging new experimental evidence, a modified version of this model appear to be appropriate for the case of creep in both disordered α-Ti alloys and ordered Ti–Al based intermetallic alloys based alloy. TEM investigations have shown that in both cases dislocations of screw character dominate the deformation microstructures in these alloys and that jogs much taller than atomic dimensions form along the dislocations. The predictions of the modified jogged-screw model are compared with creep data for Ti-6242 and γ-TiAl alloys.

Minimum creep rates as a function of stress (100–300 MPa) and T=815 °C have been obtained for a Ti–48Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy with a fully lamellar microstructure. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) investigation reveals that the deformation structures are dominated by jogged screw 1/2[110] dislocations in γ-laths. It is suggested that the creep in this alloy is controlled by the non-conservative motion of 1/2[110] unit dislocations, which are normally seen in varying proportions depending on the width of the γ-laths. The creep results are then compared with a binary Ti–48Al alloy. The difference in creep rates and stress exponents between these alloys (although differing in composition) have been explained in terms of the active volume fraction of γ-laths that are participating in deformation for a given applied stress. In this context, the effect of lamellar spacing on the creep rates are also been discussed.

During the high-temperature creep of the γ-phase (L10 structure) of a “near-gamma” Ti–48Al microstructure, observations using transmission electron microscopy indicate that a/2〈110] or “unit” dislocation activity is a dominant deformation mode. These unit dislocations tend to be elongated along the screw orientation, and exhibit a large number of localized pinning points. Tilting experiments demonstrate that these pinning points are associated with jogs on the screw dislocations, suggesting that the jogged-screw model for creep should be appropriate in this case. However, it is shown that in its conventional formulation, the jogged-screw model is not capable of reproducing the measured creep response (i.e. stress exponents or absolute creep rates). Microscopic observations also demonstrate that a spectrum of jog heights are present, with some as large as 40 nm, based on present observations. A modification of the jogged-screw model is proposed in which the average jog height is assumed to depend on stress. This modified model results in good agreement between predicted and measured creep rates while using reasonable model parameters. Additional implications of the model and required experiments to further validate the model are also discussed.

This paper reviews the presently proposed mechanisms for creep of {\gamma^{\prime}} strengthened Ni-base superalloys that are typically used for disk applications. Distinct creep strength controlling modes, such as dislocation-coupled antiphase-boundary shearing, shearing configurations involving superlattice stacking faults, Orowan looping, climb by-pass, and microtwinning have been observed. These are strongly influenced by the scale of the {\gamma^{\prime}} precipitating phase and are operative within specific ranges of temperature and stress. Insight from more recent experimental findings concerning microtwinning and extending stacking fault mechanisms suggest important similarities between these deformation modes. It is suggested that local atomic reordering in the wake of Shockley partials is responsible for the temperature dependence exhibited in this regime.

Deformation mechanisms, operative during intermediate temperature creep of Ni-based polycrystalline superalloys, are poorly understood. The creep deformation substructure has been characterized in Rene 88DT following rapid cooling from the super-solvus temperature, yielding a fine $\gamma^{\prime}$-precipitate microstructure. After creep to modest strain levels (up to 0.5% strain) at 650°C and an applied tensile stress of 838 MPa, microtwinning is found to be the predominant deformation mode. This surprising result has been confirmed using diffraction contrast and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Microtwinning occurs via the sequential movement of identical 1/6[11-2] Shockley partials on successive (111) planes. This mechanism necessitates reordering within the $\gamma^{\prime}$ precipitates in the wake of the twinning partials, so that the $L1_2$ structure can be restored. A quantitative model for creep rate has been derived on the basis that the reordering process is rate-limiting. The model is in reasonable agreement with experimental data. The results are also discussed in relation to previous studies under similar deformation conditions.

Empirical datasets of volume fractions and size distributions of small gamma' precipitates from "real" multi-component engineering nickel-based superalloys are vital to calibrate and validate the computer models which predict high sensitivities of mechanical properties to size and volume fraction of these fine gamma precipitates, and in order to accelerate microstructure and alloy development. Consequently, we investigated a number of imaging techniques available in a Tecnai F-20 FEG/TEM and selected the technique which best enabled rapid and extensive acquisition of these datasets using the engineering alloy, René 88'DT. The EFTEM technique was found to be the most appropriate method for imaging fine gamma' precipitates while further investigation showed that the Cr-M-edge, in comparison with other ionization-edges provided the best images based largely on contrast-to-noise ratio. Imaging of the Cr-M-edge elemental maps were further improved by investigating the effects of microscope parameters, imaging filter parameters and analysis of the experimental electron energy loss spectra obtained from this alloy. In addition, a novel technique to determine the volume fraction of the fine gamma' precipitates without the need to determine the absolute thickness of the TEM foil is proposed.

A modification of the classic jogged-screw model has been previously adopted to explain observations of 1/2[110]-type jogged-screw dislocations in equiaxed Ti-48Al under creep conditions. The aim of this study has been to verify and validate the parameters and functional dependencies that have been assumed in that model. The original solution has been reformulated to take into account the finite length of the moving jog. This is a better approximation of the tall jog. The substructural model parameters have been further investigated in light of the Finite Length Moving Line (FLML) source approximation. The original model assumes that the critical jog height (beyond which the jog is not dragged) is inversely proportional to the applied stress. By accounting for the fact that there are three competing mechanisms (jog dragging, dipole dragging, dipole bypass) possible, we can arrive at a modified critical jog height. The critical jog height was found to be more strongly stress dependent than assumed previously. The original model assumes the jog spacing to be invariant over the stress range. However, dynamic simulation using a line tension model has shown that the jog spacing is inversely proportional to the applied stress. This has also been confirmed by TEM measurements of jog spacings over a range of stresses. Taylor's expression assumed previously to provide the dependence of dislocation density on the applied stress, has now been confirmed by actual dislocation density measurements. Combining all of these parameters and dependencies, derived both from experiment and theory, leads to an excellent prediction of creep rates and stress exponents.

The fine structure of dislocations in intermetallic compounds can have a profound influence on their macroscopic mechanical properties. The development of appropriate models of deformation requires consideration of dislocation core structure, possible dissociation or decomposition reactions, overall dislocation morphology and relevant dislocation interactions based on detailed transmission electron microscopy study. This empirical information may be rationalized based on both atomistic and continuum-level dislocation modeling. The specific cases of jogged 1/2 superdislocations in NiAl are discussed.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2004 in Savannah, Georgia, USA, August 1–5, 2004.