Evolution of microstructure during tensile creep deformation of nickel-based disk superalloy

Abstract

The aim of the present investigation is to study the tensile creep behavior of nickel-based disk superalloy, which is widely used in the manufacturing of turbine disks for the aero engines. Tensile creep tests were performed over a wide range of stresses (100–900 MPa) and temperatures (625–850 °C) and rupture time varies from 93.1 to 9473 h. Furthermore, stress rupture strength was predicted using the time-temperature parameter at different temperatures for longer durations. The stress dependence of minimum creep rate for the alloy is found to follow the power law. The stress exponent (n) decreased from 31.2 to 7.8 with increase in the test temperature from 625 °C to 700 °C. Subsequently, the rate-controlling mechanism of creep is identified as dislocation climb by adopting the threshold stress analysis in the temperature range of 625–700 °C. At higher temperature, the n values are drastically reduced to 2.9, 2.7 and 2.2 at 750, 800 and 850 °C, respectively, due to dislocation annihilation and dissolution of precipitates. This indicates that the rate-controlling mechanism of creep changes from viscous glide to grain boundary sliding (n = 2.2). The activation energy for creep (QC) has been determined by using the modified power law in the temperature range of 625–700 °C and is found to be 598 kJ/mol, whereas the obtained QC is also decreased significantly to 435 kJ/mol at higher temperature range (750–850 °C). The calculated QC values are found to be 52.5% and 34.7% higher than the activation energy for lattice self-diffusion of nickel (284 kJ/mol). Post creep microstructural examination using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed extensive deformation in the microstructure is accommodated through the γ′ precipitates, formation of stacking faults and deformation twins within the larger γ′ precipitates. The major findings are well in strong agreement with the hardness characterization, where prominent increase in hardness within localized deformation is mainly due to extensive dislocation-interactions with the γ′ precipitates.