Abstract
In many commercial iron and nickel base alloys used in structural applications, complicated grain boundary chemistry changes can occur during the heat treatments that these materials experience during fabrication or service. These chemistry changes can be associated with the segregation of solute or impurity elements to the boundaries, or with solid state precipitation processes occurring at the boundaries. Auger electron spectroscopy and analytical electron microscopy are useful tools for the quantitative examination of these phenomena. In this paper, experimental studies of the thermodynamics and kinetics of segregation and precipitation processes at grain boundaries in Fe and Ni base alloys are reviewed. Site competition between segregants, and changes in the type of grain boundary precipitation, as a function of time and temperature of annealing are described. The interaction between segregants and precipitates at grain boundaries is considered. These results are related to changes in the macroscopic properties of the material, including corrosion resistance, ductility, and strength.
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