Precipitate Rafting in a Polycrystalline Superalloy During Compression Creep

Abstract

Rafting is an industrially and scientifically important phenomenon for precipitate-strengthened alloys utilized at high temperatures. Although this phenomenon is observed in polycrystalline alloys as well, the literature lacks scientific work on rafting in polycrystals. Scientific work is usually conducted on single-crystal superalloys. Being one of the many polycrystalline nickel-base superalloys, IN738LC has a good high-temperature strength and hot corrosion resistance. Coherency strains between the FCC gamma matrix (γ)- and L12 gamma prime (γ′)-precipitate phase particles mainly provide the high-temperature strength in IN738LC. Conical IN738LC specimens have been aged under compression for various times [24, 192, 480, and 960 hours at 1223 K (950 °C) and 12, 24, 192, and 480 hours at 1323 K (1050 °C)] in order to observe the morphological evolution of the γ′ precipitate microstructure. Dislocations play a determining role in morphological changes. Fingerprints of matrix dislocations in the form of indentations on γ′ precipitates have been identified by scanning electron microscope. Precipitate morphology has become more complex through dissolution/merging as temperature, aging time, and stress have increased. The precipitate morphology has evolved toward rafting at appropriate strain, temperature, and time. Localized slip bands have marked the beginning of rafting. The rafts have been observed at around a 45 deg angle away from the load direction. For higher stress positions, there is a trend toward N-type rafting which is expected of a positive misfit alloy under compression. Rafts eventually have collapsed due to severe creep deformation.