Microstructure, creep properties, and rejuvenation of service-exposed alloy 713C turbine blades

Abstract

A study was carried out on the microstructure and creep properties of aero engine first-stage turbine blades made from Alloy 713C nickel-base superalloy. Results are reported for new blades, blades in two service-exposed conditions, and service-exposed blades subjected to one of three rejuvenation treatments: a recoating heat treatment, a hot isostatic pressing (HIP) + recoating heat treatment, and a HIP + controlled cooling + recoating heat treatment. The blade microstructure undergoes significant change during service, and this leads to a loss in creep properties exhibited by specimens machined from the blade airfoils. Good correlations were observed between the rupture time and the amount of blade airfoil untwist and between the minimum creep rate and the amount of untwist. The recoating heat treatment and the HIP + controlled cooling + recoating treatment were moderately successful in restoring the microstructure and creep properties of the service-exposed blades. In comparison, the HIP + recoating treatment was very successful in rejuvenating creep properties but only for blades having a chemical composition with a lower propensity to form σ phase. For the blades with an unfavorable composition, σ phase was found to form preferentially near the grain boundaries during creep testing, and this had a detrimental effect on the creep properties. Nonetheless, the degree of rejuvenation for these blades was always at least as good as that obtained through the recoating heat treatment alone.