Ni 3 Al is the principal component in the gЈ phase formed in Ni-based superalloys but Ni 3 Cr and Ni 3 Fe can also contribute to the gЈ phase at temperatures below 820 K. Approximate values for the gЈ phase content can be derived from a relationship based on (mass% Al). In a previous publication it was shown that the density in both the solid and liquid alloys was dependent upon the gЈ phase (or Al) contents in the alloy. Consequently, the effect of the gЈ phase on other thermophysical properties (C p , enthalpy, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and diffusivity) have been investigated. Linear relations were found between the property values around 300 K and the mass% Al. It was also found that property-temperature relationships were also affected by the gЈ phase (or Al) contents. Although it is known that the strong bonding between Ni and Al atoms affects the density of liquid alloys, we were unable to establish any such relationship for the other properties for liquid alloys because of the large experimental uncertainties in the measurements of these properties. This study has revealed that there is an urgent need for accurate values for C p , electrical resistivity, thermal diffusivity and conductivity for liquid, Ni-based superalloys.KEY WORDS: Ni-based superalloys; gЈ phase; heat capacity; enthalpy; electrical resistivity; thermal conductivity; thermal diffusivity. structural factors in the alloy when compared with other properties. Consequently, it would be expected that other properties may be affected by the gЈ phase content. In this paper we examine the effect of gЈ phase (via the Al content) on other thermophysical properties for solid and liquid Ni-based superalloys.
Database and Treatment of DataThermophysical property data have been reported for a number of Ni-based superalloys; the chemical compositions for these alloys are given in Table 1.In this paper all temperatures are expressed as thermody- 3. Thermal Expansion Coefficient (a a ) and Density (r r )The density and the linear thermal expansion coefficient (a) were found to be functions of the gЈ phase content (or Al content).3) The difference in density, Dr 296 ϭr 298 meas Ϫ r 298 ideal , was found to increase with increasing gЈ phase and/or Al contents, (Eqs. (4) and (5), respectively). The thermal expansion coefficients for solid alloys were found to decrease with increasing gЈ phase or Al content as can be seen from Fig. 2. Thermal expansion data were collated and divided into three groups based on the Al content, namely, (0-0.5 mass%), (3-4 mass%) and (5-5.8 mass%). Vol. 46 (2006) The mean values for each group were determined and are shown in Fig. 2. It can also be seen from this figure that the slope of all three curves flatten around 870 K and that the coarsening and dissolution of the gЈ phase is accompanied by an increase in slope for the alloys with high gЈ content (CMSX 4 and Rene 80).
Heat Capacity (C p ) and Enthalpy (H T ؊H 298 )The enthalpy and C p are not particularly sensitive to structure and consequently, Kopp's...