Low-cycle fatigue of single crystal nickel-based superalloy – mechanical testing and TEM characterisation

Low-cycle fatigue (LCF) is studied for a nickel-based single-crystal superalloy in this paper, with a focus on the effect of crystal orientation and temperature. Specifically, cyclic deformation of the alloy was compared for [001]- and [111]-oriented samples tested under strain-controlled conditions at room temperature and 825 °C. Either cyclic hardening or softening was observed during the LCF process, depending on the strain amplitude, crystallographic orientation and temperature. LCF life was also reduced significantly by changing loading orientation from [001] to [111] or increasing temperature to 825 °C. Employing a comprehensive study with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), a connection between microstructure and mechanical behaviour of the alloy is discussed. It was found that the processes of γ′-precipitate dissolution and dislocation recovery were responsible for cyclic softening. Alignments and pile-ups of dislocations in the γ matrix, which prohibited their movement and reduced the interaction of dislocations on different slip systems, contributed to cyclic hardening

<i>In-situ</i> SEM study of slip-controlled short-crack growth in single-crystal nickel superalloy

Initiation and growth of short cracks in a nickel-based single crystal were studied by carrying out in-situ fatigue experiments within a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Specimens with two different crystallographic orientations, i.e., [001] and [111], were tested under load-controlled tension fatigue in vacuum. Slip-caused crack initiation was identified at room temperature while initiation of a mode-I crack was observed at 650°C. Slip traces continuously developed ahead of the crack tip once initiated and acted as nuclei for early-stage crack growth at both room and high temperature (650°C). These slip traces were caused by accumulated shear deformation of activated octahedral slip systems, which were specifically identified by analysing the surface slip traces and crack-propagation planes. The crack-growth rates were evaluated against stress intensity factor range, revealing the anomaly of slip-controlled short-crack growth. The effects of crystallographic orientations and temperature on fatigue crack growth were subsequently analysed and discussed, including the influence of microstructural features such as carbides and pores

Microstructural analysis of IN617 and IN625 oxidised in the presence of steam for use in ultra-supercritical power plant

The nickel based alloys IN617 and IN625 that have been selected for their candidacy in the construction of the hottest regions of the supercritical steam cycle have been oxidised under isothermal conditions at 750 °C and atmospheric pressure in atmospheres of 100 % steam, 50/50 % steam/argon and air for up to 4,200 h. Both alloys developed a thin protective oxide under each condition. Scale thickness measurements using SEM micrographs were performed and showed that exposures in steam exhibited a higher rate of scale formation than exposures in air in both alloys. IN617 developed an extensive internal network of alumina which resulted in the formation of alloy protrusions into the scale altering scale growth kinetics, IN625 also formed alumina to a lesser extent. Voids formed in the matrix below the scale in both alloys in each environment. The extent of alumina formation alters the void morphology which eventually impacts the scale growth rate as inward scale growth occurred into the voids in IN625 but not in IN617

Microstructural analysis of steam oxidation of IN617 for use in ultra-supercritical steam plants

The microstructural evolution of IN617 subjected to oxidising atmospheres of 100% steam, 50% steam/argon and air in the temperature range 700-750oC for exposures times up to 4,000 h at atmospheric pressure has been investigated using a range of analytical electron microscopy techniques. It has been found that for this alloy the presence of steam in the atmosphere has an effect on the oxidation kinetics, and influences the nature of the scale. It has also been shown that there are differences in the volume and nature of voids formed, and that the voids are often associated with an internal structure of alumina. Significant internal oxidation was observed, particularly in the presence of steam, and a 3D reconstruction of the microstructure using FIBSEM techniques showed that this comprised of interconnected alumina plates which followed the grain boundaries into the substrate

3D DDD modelling of dislocation-precipitate interaction in a nickel-based single crystal superalloy under cyclic deformation

Strain-controlled cyclic deformation of a nickel-based single crystal superalloy has been modelled by using three-dimensional (3D) discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) for both [001] and [111] orientations. The work focused on the interaction between dislocations and precipitates during cyclic plastic deformation at elevated temperature, which has not been well studied yet. A representative volume element (RVE) with cubic γ’-precipitates was chosen to represent the material, with enforced periodical boundary conditions. In particular, cutting of superdislocations into precipitates was simulated by a back-force method. The global cyclic stress-strain responses were captured well by the DDD model when compared to experimental data, particularly the effects of crystallographic orientation. Dislocation evolution showed that considerably high density of dislocations was produced for [111] orientation when compared to [001] orientation. Cutting of dislocations into the precipitates had a significant effect on the plastic deformation, leading to material softening. Contour plots of in-plane shear strain proved the development of heterogeneous strain field, resulting in the formation of shear-band embryos

Computational modelling of full interaction between crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion at a crack tip

Oxidation-promoted crack growth, one of the major concerns for nickel-based superalloys, is closely linked to the diffusion of oxygen into the crack tip. The phenomenon is still not well understood yet, especially the full interaction between oxygen diffusion and severe near-tip mechanical deformation. This work aimed at the development of a robust numerical strategy to model the full coupling of crystal plasticity and oxygen diffusion in a single crystal nickel-based superalloy. In order to accomplish this, finite element package ABAQUS is used as a platform to develop a series of user-defined subroutines to model the fully coupled process of deformation and diffusion. The formulation allowed easy incorporation of nonlinear material behaviour, various loading conditions and arbitrary model geometries. Using this method, finite element analyses of oxygen diffusion, coupled with crystal plastic deformation, were carried out to simulate oxygen penetration at a crack tip and associated change of near-tip stress field, which has significance in understanding crack growth acceleration in oxidation environment. Based on fully coupled diffusion-deformation analyses, a case study was carried out to predict crack growth rate in oxidation environment and under dwell-fatigue loading conditions, for which a two-parameter failure criterion, in terms of accumulated inelastic strain and oxygen concentration at the crack tip, has been utilized

Low cycle fatigue of a directionally solidified nickel-based superalloy: Testing, characterisation and modelling

Low cycle fatigue (LCF) of a low-carbon (LC) directionally-solidified (DS) nickel-base superalloy, CM247 LC DS, was investigated using both experimental and computational methods. Strain-controlled LCF tests were conducted at 850°C, with a loading direction either parallel or perpendicular to the solidification direction. Trapezoidal loading-waveforms with 2 s and 200 s dwell times imposed at the minimum and the maximum strains were adopted for the testing. A constant strain range of 2% was maintained throughout the fully-reversed loading conditions (strain ratio R = −1). The observed fatigue life was shorter when the loading direction was perpendicular to the solidification one, indicating an anisotropic material response. It was found that the stress amplitude remained almost constant until final fracture, suggesting limited cyclic hardening/softening. Also, stress relaxation was clearly observed during the dwell period. Scanning Electron Microscopy fractographic analyses showed evidence of similar failure modes in all the specimens. To understand deformation at grain level, crystal plasticity finite element modelling was carried out based on grain textures measured with EBSD. The model simulated the full history of cyclic stress-strain responses. It was particularly revealed that the misorientations between columnar grains resulted in heterogeneous deformation and localised stress concentrations, which became more severe when the loading direction was normal to a solidification direction, explaining the shorter fatigue life observed

Stress relaxation of nickel-based superalloy helical springs at high temperatures

The creep resistance of materials in spring applications is generally acknowledged to be well below that observed in other applications. Helical springs formed from three candidate nickel-based superalloys, Nimonic 90, René 41 and Haynes 282, have been tested under compression in order to gain some insight into this phenomenon. Stress relaxation tests conducted at 600–700 °C found that, under constant displacement, the degradation of the spring force is one to three orders of magnitude faster than would be predicted from creep data from extruded samples under equivalent tensile loading. An analytical model for torsional creep in helical springs is derived from a modified version of the Dyson creep model. The effects of various microstructural features on the deformation rate are considered. Effects such as the coarsening of the precipitate-strengthening gamma-prime phase, tertiary creep due to dislocation multiplication, damage evolution and hardening due to transfer of the stress to the particles from the matrix are concluded to make negligible contributions. It is predicted that the poor performance of the springs is due to the very high population of geometrically necessary dislocations that result from the bending and twisting of the wire into a helical coil. It is expected that these dislocations are resistant to conventional heat treatments, resulting in a persistent residual stress field and a large number of dislocations to facilitate the creep process. In some cases, the stress relaxation is found to be so fast that the precipitate hardening of the alloy is too slow to prevent significant initial degradation of the spring

Microstructural Evolution in High Temperature Creep and Thermally Aged HA230

Haynes Alloy 230 is a sheet material used for combustor components in a number of small industrial gas turbines manufactured by Siemens. During normal operating service the material is subjected to high temperatures and cyclic mechanical and thermal stresses, which can lead to degradation of the microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy, and hence limit component design life. As a result of this a long-term programme has been initiated to investigate the effects of thermal and creep exposure on the microstructure of this material using advanced FEGSEM and analytical TEM techniques with the objectives of: - determining the effects of turbine operating factors on the microstructural evolution of the alloy during service exposure; - identification of alloy phases which could potentially act as indicators of the average exposure temperatures experienced for specific service periods; - development of a microstructurally based model to enable the assessment of in-service operating temperatures as an aid to evaluation of the remnant life of HA230 combustor components. Originally this alloy was specifically designed to have excellent long-term thermal stability and resistance to the precipitation of damaging phases. However, whilst this appears to be true for the case of thermal exposure, there is growing evidence from the studies conducted to date that in addition to M6C and intergranular precipitation of M23C6 resulting from thermal exposure, other types of phases may also precipitate in the alloy due to time dependent plastic deformation during long-term creep and/or thermo-mechanical fatigue exposure leading to reductions in both ductility and high temperature strength. This paper describes initial studies on the effects of long-term high temperature exposure on hardness and microstructural changes of creep rupture tested and thermally exposed samples of HA230 being carried out as part of the current COST 538 technology programme

Strain accumulation and fatigue crack initiation at pores and carbides in a SX superalloy at room temperature: x-ray computed tomography, tabulated data and modelling datasets

This dataset includes the data presented in the journal paper Strain accumulation and fatigue crack initiation at pores and carbides in a SX superalloy at room temperature.</span