Role of Transient Creep in γ-Single Phase Ni-20Mass%Cr Alloy

Abstract

Through the analysis of many creep rate-strain curves of γ-single phase Ni-20mass%Cr alloy single crystals with various stress axes, it has been elucidated that the ratio of transient stage to rupture life becomes larger with decreasing the stress. And the transient stage consists of Stage I and Stage II. In Stage I, the creep rate just after loading remains constant, and in Stage II, a steep decrease in creep rate continues. It is noticeable that there is a marked difference in transient stage among single crystals with different stress axes. The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanisms leading to the different transient stages as the function of stress axes. The deformation during transient stage in the single crystals except for the single crystals with the stress axes of the [001] and [1,–11] poles in the standard stereographic triangle, proceeds using the primary slip plane. And they are divided into two groups of the single crystals with the angle between stress axis and primary slip plane, θ, less than 45° and the single crystals with θ more than 45°. The deformations of Stage I and Stage II in these single crystals proceed using the slip system of (111)<1,–01> and the slip system of (111)<1,–10>, and in Stage I, the former slip system acts mainly except for that of single crystals with stress axis of [011]. While, in the single crystal with stress axis of [011], two slip systems above described operate at the beginning of Stage I, and the stress axis moves along [011]-[1,–11] line. And this moving gives slight increase in the Schmid factor, therefore, in Stage I slight increase in creep rate was confirmed. The {111} pole figure of the single crystal with stress axis of [1,–11] whose deformation proceeds using the plural slip planes are obtained by SEM-EBSD method. It becomes clear that the smallest strains of Stage I and Stage II derived from the increase in the torsion with creep deformation.