The strength of superalloys is strongly influenced by γ′ precipitates, whose size and volume fraction which can be adjusted by heat treatments. According to classical precipitation strengthening models, an increasing precipitate diameter should lead to a transition from weak to strong coupling of the dislocation pairs that form superdislocations in the γ′ phase. We show that long‐term annealing of the Ni‐base superalloy A718Plus at 670 and 680 °C increases the alloy's strength without significantly changing the grain size and η fraction. To understand the effect of the slight increase in γ′ size, detailed atom probe tomography (APT) was performed. Here, different field evaporation rates of the phases strongly affect the determination of the volume fraction when using the usual isosurface construction. This can be mitigated by considering the number density of atoms inside and outside the γ′ precipitates. Using an approximation of the precipitate shapes and arrangements from the APT data in atomistic simulations revealed that precipitate shearing by both, weakly and strongly coupled dislocations can occur in the same sample due to the wide distribution of precipitate sizes. These results highlight the need for advanced strengthening models that take into account the γ′ size distribution.
Polycrystalline Ni-based superalloys are one of the most frequently used materials for high temperature load-bearing applications due to their superior mechanical strength and chemical resistance. In this paper, we presented an in situ diffraction study on the tensile deformation behavior of the polycrystalline Ni-based superalloy VDM® Alloy 780 at temperatures up to 500 °C performed at the STRESS-SPEC neutron diffractometer at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum. A detailed microstructural investigation was carried out by electron microscopy before and after testing. The results of these studies allowed us to determine the deformation mechanism in the differently orientated grains. It is shown that the deformation behavior, which is mainly dislocation motion and shearing of the γ′-precipitates, does not change at this temperature range. The deformation is strongly anisotropic and depends on the grain orientation. The macroscopic hardening can mainly be attributed to plastic deformation in grains, where the (200) lattice planes were orientated perpendicular to the loading direction. Accordingly, a remaining lattice strain and high dislocation density were detected predominantly in these grains.
VDM® Alloy 780 is a newly developed polycrystalline Ni-base superalloy with high contents of Co, Cr, and Al intended for operating temperatures up to 750 °C. The alloy is precipitation strengthened by the γ′ phase, which is analyzed by atom probe tomography. Additionally, δ and η phases are utilized for grain boundary pinning. It is shown that the δ and η phases precipitate either plate like or in a fine lamellar structure inside each other. VDM® Alloy 780 shows superior oxidation resistance in comparison with Udimet 720Li and A718Plus, as seen by a lower mass gain and thinner oxide layers at 800 °C and 900 °C. This superior behavior is analyzed in detail by TEM and STEM investigations of the oxide scales from which it is concluded that the Al/Ti ratio in these alloys plays an important role on the oxidation behavior.
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