Materials Science Forum Vols. 638-642

Abstract: The creep behaviour of the solid solution strengthened nickel-based superalloy Haynes 230 has been investigated under constant load and temperature conditions on as received, after conventional solution treatment, and on overaged conditions. The experimental results have shown a very strong dependence of the creep curve shape with the applied stress/temperature: in the tests performed at high stresses/low temperatures, the primary/decelerating stage takes an important portion of the creep curve. At these test conditions, the accelerating creep is mainly caused by the increase of the applied stress with the strain as it happens in constant load creep tests. In the tests performed at low stresses/high temperatures, the primary stage is very small and the following accelerating creep is characterized by different accelerating creep stages. The analysis of the creep curves on the as received and overaged alloys, has shown that a large portion of the accelerating creep at low stresses/high temperatures is caused by microstructural instability.

Abstract: The morphology of the ’ precipitates in the single crystal nickel-based superalloy serviced as the second stage high pressure turbine blade of the aircraft engine was examined. The aim of this work was to estimate the temperature and the stress distribution, and the stress direction of the blade in service. The blade was cut into three parts parallel to (001) plane at 8, 40 and 64mm from the tip. These parts were named as the tip, middle and root parts. Furthermore, these three parts were cut into six parts parallel to {100} which were almost normal to the surface from the leading to the trailing edge at interval of 6mm. Microstructure observations by a FE-SEM were carried out on the thirty portions of each part parallel to (001) and {100} planes at the vicinity of the interface between the coating layer and the matrix in the suction and pressure sides. Most of the ’ precipitates contacted each other toward almost parallel to the surface at the vicinity of the interface in the blade. Especially, at the leading edge of the pressure side of the tip and middle parts, the rafted /’ structures start to collapse. Consequently, the blade in service, at the leading edge of the pressure side of the tip and middle parts were exposed to the highest temperature and stress conditions. And the multi-axial compressive stresses parallel to the blade surface were expected to act on the blade in service.

Abstract: Through the analysis of many creep rate-time or creep rate-strain curves of -single phase Ni-20mass% Cr alloy single crystals with various stress axes, it was clarified that the creep deformation manners at lower stresses are drastically different to those at higher stresses. These creep features at lower stresses are summarized into three ones as follows. (i) The fully extended transient stage occupies the considerable ratio of rupture life. (ii) The steady state stage disappears, because the transient stage directly connected with the accelerating stage. (iii) The origin of the onset of accelerating stage is regarded as the formation of the dynamic recrystallized grain. These difference in creep deformation manner were caused by the predominant operation of the primary slip system and then the homogeneous evolution of dislocation substructures.

Abstract: A simple analytical model is proposed for estimating grain boundary mobility during dynamic recrystallization in metallic alloys. The combined effects of solutes (solute drag) and second phase particles (Zener pinning) on mobility are considered. The approach is based on (and is consistent with) a recently published mesoscale model of discontinuous dynamic recrystallization. The dependence of grain boundary mobility on solute concentration and particle size is summarized in the form of two-dimensional maps.

Abstract: In international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER), reduced activation ferritic/martensitic steels will be used for plasma-facing materials. However, it is necessary to raise the temperature of operation in order to elevate efficiency of electric power generation by using the material which is more excellent in strength at elevated temperature. Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are promising candidate for high temperature materials of a nuclear fusion reactor. There are many reports that ODS steels show very high creep strength, but there are few reports on creep deformation mechanism. In this work, creep deformation behavior of 8 wt% Cr ODS steel was investigated. This ODS steel had high density of fine dispersed Y2Ti2O7 particles and -ferrite grains elongated along the hot-rolling direction. The creep curve showed a low creep strain rate until specimen ruptured. Vickers hardness of the gauge part of specimens in interrupted creep tests decreased with increasing the loading time. However, that of the grip part did not change significantly. Accordingly, although dynamic recovery occurred in the ODS steel, it had not affected the creep deformation rate.

Abstract: Dynamic structural changes during creep tests for about 103 hours at 600 and 650oC were investigated in a P92-type 9%Cr martensitic heat resistant steel. The structural changes are characterised by the development of relatively large equiaxed subgrains with relatively low dislocation densities in place of initial martensite laths. The coarsening of substructure was accompanied by a growth of second phase precipitates. The final grain/subgrain sizes and dislocation densities evolved after the creep tests were in rough correlation with applied stresses, i.e. larger (sub)grains developed under lower stresses. The structural mechanism responsible for microstructure evolution was considered as a kind of continuous dynamic recrystallization.

Abstract: A crystalline modeling of deformation implemented in the Finite Element code Abaqus® coupled to a recrystallization Cellular Automaton code is proposed and applied to the hot forging process. A sequential modeling is used in order to obtain a better understanding of the experimental observations and to improve our knowledge of the dynamic recrystallization process. Modeling is performed on aggregates built up from Electron Back Scattered Diffraction measurements. At the deformation temperature, the material presents two phases with a γ matrix of FCC structure and a γ’ hardening phase under a precipitate shape (Ni3(Ti,Al)) of SC structure. The crystalline approach can describe the interactions between the two phases and can compute the evolution of the local strain and stress fields as well as the dislocation density and the lattice rotation in the different grains. A Cellular Automaton algorithm is used for simulating the microstructure evolution during dynamic recrystallization. Nucleation and grain boundary mobility depend on the misorientation and on the local variation in stored energy. This presentation mainly details the different assumptions introduced in the recrystallization code and their influences on the microstructure evolution.

Abstract: During hot working of the recently developed nickel based alloy Allvac 718PlusTM softening kinetics like dynamic, metadynamic as well as static recrystallization govern the microstructure evolution during and after hot forming and hence the final mechanical properties. In this work the metadynamic recrystallization was investigated using double hit compression tests. The classical methodology of offset stress comparison was not usable because of discontinuous yielding of this material. Thus a new method to describe the softening during metadynamic recrystallization was developed, which compares the deformation energy at equal strains, i.e. the area beneath the true strain vs. true stress curve, of the first and second hit as well as at steady state.

Abstract: According to various studies, Grain Boundary Engineering (GBE) is likely to enhance mechanical properties of polycrystalline materials. The present investigation highlights some relationships between thermomechanical process (TMP) parameters of a commercial nickel-base superalloy PER72, supplied by Aubert & Duval (equivalent to Udimet®720™) and the resulting microstructure. The long-term goal is to develop TMPs that modify the Grain Boundary Character Distributions (GBCD) in order to improve high temperature properties. In this context, Grain Boundary Engineering (GBE) techniques are considered, thinking of replacing standard forming processes by optimised thermomechanical treatments. Mechanical testing at high temperature (compression and torsion tests) has been carried out and it is shown that multi-step treatments promote twinning. Some clues are then presented in an attempt to explain when and how twins are created.

Abstract: By means of the calculation of the elements diffusion mobility, an investigation has been made into the influence of the elements interaction on the rates of the elements diffusion and  phase directional coarsening during creep of single crystal superalloys. Results show that the elements diffusion and  phase directional coarsening during creep are related to the applied stressed and elastic modulus. And the rate of  phase directional coarsening is enhanced with the applied stresses. Due to the interaction between the elements, the rates of the elements diffusion and  phase directional coarsening decrease with the increment of the elements Ta+Mo gross and Ta/W ratio. In the diffusion field of the elements during creep, the Al, Ta atoms with bigger radius are diffused to {100} planes to form the N-type rafted structure along the direction vertical to the applied stress axis, and the change of the strain energy density in the interfaces of the cubic  phase is thougth to be the driving force of the elements diffusion.