A phase-field model of concurrent Suzuki segregation and partial dislocation glide

Abstract

Co–Al–W-base superalloys with the classic γ−γ′ microstructure offer exciting high temperature property profiles. High temperature deformation in such alloys involves shearing of the γ′ phase by a a/3〈112〉 superpartial to create a superlattice intrinsic stacking fault (SISF) while the trailing a/6〈112〉 partial is pinned at the γ−γ′ interface. Experiments indicate that Suzuki segregation to such faults lowers their energy, which in turn lowers the resistance to partial dislocation glide. However, quantifying the extent of solute segregation and its impact on the dynamics of partial dislocation glide from experiments is challenging. In order to fulfill the purpose computationally, in this paper, we present a phase-field model of the phenomenon of concurrent solute segregation and partial dislocation glide. Our simulations reveal that under creep conditions in a representative pseudobinary alloy belonging to the Co–Al–W system, there is a marked increase in the partial dislocation velocity due to solute segregation. The rise in dislocation velocity due to segregation is found to be more significant for lower resolved shear stresses on the dislocation. Higher solute interdiffusivity also leads to enhanced partial glide velocities. Our model can be extended to multicomponent systems, which can, in turn, be used to accelerate the design of novel Co-base superalloys by predicting the kinetics of the displacive-diffusive shearing of the γ′ phase for prospective alloy systems.