On the origin of a remarkable increase in the strength and stability of an Al rich Al-Ni eutectic alloy by Zr addition

The effect of Zr addition to Al rich binary α-Al - Al 3 Ni eutectic cast alloy (Al-3.1 at. Ni) in enhancing the microstructural stability and strength at high temperature is demonstrated. On subsequent heat treatment after casting, nanometric coherent L1 2 ordered Al 3 Zr precipitates form inside the α-Al that strengthen the alloy. Additionally, remarkable stability of eutectic microstructure was observed even after 100 h of annealing at 400 °C. The synergetic effect of the strengthening of the α-Al matrix by coherent Al 3 Zr precipitates and the low coarsening rate of the Al 3 Ni rods results in a significant increase in high temperature hardness and yield strength of the alloy. The tensile yield strength of the annealed Al-3.1Ni-0.15Zr alloy (400 °C, 10 h) tested at 250 °C is found to be 185 ± 10 MPa, which is 1.5 times higher than the corresponding binary Al-3.1Ni alloy. The experimentally determined average rod size (radius) during annealing at 400 °C follows the classical matrix diffusion controlled LSW-based coarsening model for both binary Al-3.1Ni and ternary Al-3.1Ni-0.15Zr alloys. The calculated coarsening rate constant values based on modified LSW coarsening model are 10.3 and 4.1 nm 3 /s for Al-3.1Ni and Al-3.1Ni-0.15Zr alloys, respectively. Atom probe tomographic (APT) investigations of the heat-treated ternary alloy unambiguously reveal segregation of Zr solute at the αAl/Al 3 Ni interface in addition to the presence of the strengthening Al 3 Zr ordered precipitates in the α-Al matrix. The segregation hinders the interdiffusion of Al and Ni in the eutectic and, thereby, increasing the stability of the eutectic phase at high temperature

Precipitate Evolution and Creep Behavior of a W-Free Co-based Superalloy

The morphological and temporal evolution of $$\gamma ^{\prime }$$ γ ′ (L1 $$_2$$ 2 )-precipitates is studied in a polycrystalline Co-based superalloy (Co-30Ni-9.9Al-5.1Mo-1.9Nb at. pct) free of tungsten, aged at 1173 K (900 °C). Over a $$1000\,{{\rm{hours}}}$$ 1000 hours heat-treatment, the $$\gamma ^{\prime }$$ γ ′ morphology evolves due to precipitate coalescence. The particles grow in size and the volume fraction decreases, while there is no significant change in the microhardness value. Compressional creep tests at 1123 K (850 °C) on a specimen aged at 1173 K (900 °C) demonstrate that the creep resistance is comparable to the original, W-containing, higher-density Co-based superalloy (Co-9Al-9.8W at. pct). This represents the first creep study of the Co-Al-Mo-Nb-based superalloy system. The W-free alloy exhibits directional coarsening of the $$\gamma ^{\prime }$$ γ ′ precipitates in the direction perpendicular to the applied compressive stress, which indicates a positive misfit. This is consistent with neutron diffraction results

Thermophysical and Mechanical Properties of Advanced Single Crystalline Co-base Superalloys

A set of advanced single crystalline γ′ strengthened Co-base superalloys with at least nine alloying elements (Co, Ni, Al, W, Ti, Ta, Cr, Si, Hf, Re) has been developed and investigated. The objective was to generate multinary Co-base superalloys with significantly improved properties compared to the original Co-Al-W-based alloys. All alloys show the typical γ/γ′ two-phase microstructure. A γ′ solvus temperature up to 1174 °C and γ′ volume fractions between 40 and 60 pct at 1050 °C could be achieved, which is significantly higher compared to most other Co-Al-W-based superalloys. However, higher contents of Ti, Ta, and the addition of Re decrease the long-term stability. Atom probe tomography revealed that Re does not partition to the γ phase as strongly as in Ni-base superalloys. Compression creep properties were investigated at 1050 °C and 125 MPa in 〈001〉 direction. The creep resistance is close to that of first generation Ni-base superalloys. The creep mechanisms of the Re-containing alloy was further investigated and it was found that the deformation is located preferentially in the γ channels although some precipitates are sheared during early stages of creep. The addition of Re did not improve the mechanical properties and is therefore not considered as a crucial element in the design of future Co-base superalloys for high temperature applications. Thermodynamic calculations describe well how the alloying elements influence the transformation temperatures although there is still an offset in the actual values. Furthermore, a full set of elastic constants of one of the multinary alloys is presented, showing increased elastic stiffness leading to a higher Young’s modulus for the investigated alloy, compared to conventional Ni-base superalloys. The oxidation resistance is significantly improved compared to the ternary Co-Al-W compound. A complete thermal barrier coating system was applied successfull