Abstract
Alloys used for turbine blades have to safely sustain severe thermomechanical loadings during service such as, for example, centrifugal loadings, creep and high temperature gradients. For these applications, cast Ni-based superalloys characterized by a coarse-grained microstructure are widely adopted. This microstructure dictates a strong anisotropic mechanical behaviour and, concurrently, a large scatter in the fatigue properties is observed. In this work, Crystal Plasticity Finite Element (CPFE) simulations and strain measurements performed by means of Digital Image Correlations (DIC) were adopted to study the variability introduced by the coarse-grained microstructure. In particular, the CPFE simulations were calibrated and used to simulate the effect of the grain cluster orientations in proximity to notches, which reproduce the cooling air ducts of the turbine blades. The numerical simulations were experimentally validated by the DIC measurements. This study aims to predict the statistical variability of the strain concentration factors and support component design.
Highlights
Materials 2021, 14, 564. https://Nowadays, renewable energy plants are increasingly used for energy production, even if they cannot guarantee a continuous supply of electrical energy
Element (CPFE) simulations and strain measurements performed by means of Digital Image Correlations (DIC) were adopted to study the variability introduced by the coarse-grained microstructure
This study aims to predict the statistical variability of the strain concentration factors and support component design
Summary
Materials 2021, 14, 564. https://Nowadays, renewable energy plants are increasingly used for energy production, even if they cannot guarantee a continuous supply of electrical energy. Turbo-gas engines are still used as an alternative source of energy able to maintain the continuous production of energy. For this reason, industries are still working on improving the design of gas turbines. To guarantee high creep and fatigue performance at high temperatures, René features a coarse-grained microstructure. This microstructure directly influences the mechanical behaviour of this material, leading to high anisotropy in its mechanical properties, which promotes a large scatter in the fatigue life. Due to the pressing requirement to improve the performance of these turbo-gas engines, new design methodologies are required, which properly consider the variability introduced by the coarse microstructure
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