Papers by Author: Martin Stockinger

Abstract: Gamma titanium aluminides are promising alloys for low-pressure turbine blades. A significant disadvantage of such intermetallic alloys is failure induced during forming processes due to ductile damage and flow instabilities. Previous investigations on a gamma titanium aluminide alloy (TNM), have shown ductile damage due to tensile stress components and instabilities such as shear bands, pores and micro-cracks at low temperatures and high strain rates. The main part of the current work is to delineate damage and unstable regions in the low temperature region. Hot deformation experiments are conducted on a Gleeble®3800 thermomechanical treatment simulator to obtain flow curves to be implemented in a finite element method (FEM) code. Instabilities in the material are described by existing instability criteria as proposed by Semiatin and Jonas and implemented into FEM code DEFORM^TM 2D. Predictions of ductile damage models and the instability parameter are validated through detailed microstructural studies of deformed specimens analysed by light optical- and scanning electron microscopy.

Abstract: Gamma titanium aluminides are innovative materials for high temperature and light weight applications [1]. On the other hand, their hot workability can be limited by failure during hot deformation processes. The prediction of ductile damage in metallic materials can be performed by macromechanical ductile damage criteria [2-4]. If the calculated damage D parameter exceeds a critical value D_c, the material fails. Some macromechanical ductile damage criteria are shown in Table 1, with σ as effective stress, ε as effective strain, σ_max as maximum principal stress, σ_m as hydrostatic stress (mean stress) and εf as equivalent fracture strain. The damage responds to strain localization and thus, to multiaxial stress concentration that increases fracture probability.

Abstract: In the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V the dual-phase grain structure, which forms during thermo-mechanical processing, is of high importance due to its effect on the mechanical properties. In general the most significant microstructural parameters are the amount of alpha and beta phase as well as their grain size. For this reason a new cellular automata method (CA) was developed to predict the evolving grain structure during isothermal and non-isothermal heat treatment. The probabilistic CA model is based on the diffusion controlled movement of grain and phase boundaries. During temperature changes an algorithm is adjusting alpha and beta phase fraction to maintain equilibrium phase values. Hence, the CA is capable to calculate grain coarsening as well as grain growth and shrinking in the two-phase area while heating and isothermal holding at forging temperature. The initial microstructure can be imported form virtual created microstructures, real micrographs and EBSD-images. The results are mean grain diameters, grain size distributions and virtually simulated microstructures which can be easily compared with real micrographs. The predicted microstructures are showing a good correlation to data in literature and experimental results.

Abstract: The goal of relating a local fatigue life approach with different microstructures requires the consideration of the main forging process dependent influence factors and their effect on grain size, grain shape, grain contiguity and others. The presented methodology shows the generation and use of a microstructural based evaluation method to link the grain-shape based texture and morphology to the low-cycle-fatigue behavior of superalloy 718. The developed microstructural based energy approach supports an alternative description of the microstructure and grain shape texture. Both, the morphology and the statistical distribution, although covering as-large-as grains, are assessed by two independent numerical parameters. A parametric link to local fatigue parameters was established using this alternative microstructural characterization technique. A prediction of the microstructural evolution during the forging process is already available at design stage for hot-forging of this nickel-base superalloy. In this regard the value of the first parameter e correlates with the mean grain size; the value of the second parameter b is affected by the local forging process history. This enables the lifetime assessment of local forging process at design stage using advanced forging simulation tools. This holistic approach of establishment an experimental based methodology from specimen tests, extensive companying metallographic evaluations, linking them with local forging parameters, implementing the supported microstructural parameters to forging simulation codes and calculating the local component lifetime closes the simulation chain for superalloy 718.

Abstract: The efficiency of gas turbine engines can improved by an increase of the working temperature. As a consequence Allvac® 718Plus™ was developed to enhance the high temperature properties. Since the performance of this alloy is strongly related to the microstructure the knowledge of the softening processes is important to develop precise microstructure evolution models. Specimens were deformed at different temperatures (950°-1050°C) and strain rate (0.1s^-1 – 10s^-1) to strains of 0.2-1.5. The microstructures obtained were analyzed by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) in the scanning electron microscope to investigate the softening mechanisms at the respective forming conditions.

Abstract: Titanium alloys are attractive for structural applications in the aerospace industry due to their high specific strength in comparison with other engineering materials. These properties are strongly related to the microstructure obtained during thermo-mechanical processes. The influence of the processing parameters on the microstructure is investigated to determine criteria for the control of the forming processes. Pre-forged specimens of alpha-beta Ti-6Al-4V alloy with elongated primary alpha grains are deformed below the beta transus temperature between 0.1 and 10/s of strain rate. Compression is carried out parallel and perpendicular to the preferential orientations of the primary alpha grains. The local strain within the compressed samples is determined by finite element methods and correlated to the microstructure observed there. The alpha content is affected by the temperature of deformation and the morphology of the alpha grains is influenced by the strain and strain rate. Specimens with previous primary alpha grains parallel to the compression axis show a rotation of the alpha grains which were oriented almost perpendicular to the load axis. EBSD measurements are used to determine the restoration mechanism involved during hot deformation. Continuous dynamic recrystallization in the alpha grains is revealed by increasing the cumulative crystallographic misorientation towards the grain boundary and the formation of new grains. This misorientation increases with increasing values of the Zener Hollomon parameter (Z). For lower values of Z restoration occurs mainly in the beta phase.

Abstract: Aerospace gas turbine disks operate in an environment of relatively high stresses caused by centrifugal forces and elevated temperatures. Because of the strong mechanical requirements and narrow specifications of such parts not only a correct, defect free final geometry is necessary, but also a defined microstructure. Even though the microstructure evolution during thermo-mechanical processing is well studied and understood for superalloys like IN718, the influences cannot easily be described analytically. Thus simulation tools are used to assure process stability and to optimize design parameters to meet the tough requirements in aerospace industries. Microstructure simulation of IN718 (and other materials) is well established at Bohler Schmiedetechnik GmbH & Co KG and appreciated by its customers. The advent of the newly developed nickel-base superalloy ATI Allvac® 718PlusTM led to extensive investigations and the development of an adapted microstructure model by Bohler Schmiedetechnik GmbH & Co KG and its research partners. Aim of this paper is a comparison of the microstructure evolution in IN718 and ATI Allvac® 718PlusTM during the thermo-mechanical treatment of turbine disks. Influences of process temperature, strain and strain rate on the final grain size are discussed by finite element simulations with a coupled grain structure model. Experimental results from trial forgings are compared with the outcome of the microstructure simulations.

Abstract: Heavy-duty aerospace components are frequently hot forged to satisfy the high requirements concerning their mechanical behaviour. Only the usage of high-performance materials together with a near-optimum manufacturing process enables the production of parts that are at the same time lightweight and mechanically extremely durable. Not only the static properties, but also the fatigue behaviour of Inconel718 is strongly influenced by the material’s microstructure resulting from the forging and heat treatment processes. Therefore, the static and fatigue properties may be controlled via the microstructural properties by suitably adjusting the parameters of the manufacturing processes. The present work links the complete forging and heat treatment process to the local distribution of the material’s fatigue strength within a component; the effect of the operating temperature is also considered. To this purpose, an empirical model is derived from fatigue tests on specimens with different microstructures at different temperatures. The resulting fatigue strength model is implemented, along with a microstructural evolution model from earlier work [1], into a finite element code in order to predict the local fatigue strength distribution in a component after being subjected to an arbitrary forging process. In a further step, the finite element code is linked to an optimization tool for determining the optimum set of manufacturing process parameters such that the component lifetime is maximized while taking process constraints into consideration.

Abstract: The results of our investigations on residual stresses in commercially produced forged IN 718 compressor discs are reviewed. The residual stresses in the discs with a diameter of 320 mm and a thickness of up to 25 mm were studied using neutron diffraction to verify the predictions of a finite element simulation, which was used to model forging and cooling of the discs. In addition to the disc, a thin plate of the same material was also studied for testing the influence of specimen geometry on the model predictions. While the model results for the disc were not strongly influenced by the heat transfer coefficient, the stress distributions in the thin plate could only be predicted satisfactorily by using a temperature-dependent heat transfer coefficient that was derived from temperature measurements during quenching. Eventually, this led to an improvement of the FE simulation used for optimizing the production process.

Abstract: In this paper, the precipitation behaviour of  (Ni3(Nb,Al)) and ’ (Ni3(Al,Ti,Nb)) phases in the nickel-base superalloy ATI Allvac® 718PlusTM, as well as their kinetic interactions are discussed. Important parameters such as volume fraction, mean radius and number density of precipitates are experimentally determined and numerically simulated as a function of the heat treatment parameters time and temperature. To match the experimentally observed kinetics, the predicted interfacial energy of the precipitates, as calculated for a sharp, planar phase boundary, is adjusted to take into account the interfacial curvature and entropic effects of a diffuse interface. Correction functions for the interfacial energies of  as well as ’ precipitates are presented. Using these modified interfacial energies, the calculated results show excellent agreement with the experimental measurements.