Allvac 718Plus Research Articles

Precipitation and tensile behaviors of Allvac 718Plus superalloy during long-term thermal exposure

Allvac 718Plus alloy is a promising Ni-based superalloy with excellent thermal stability and mechanical properties up to 704 °C. The γ′ coarsening, σ precipitation and the resulting degraded tensile properties at room and elevated (704 °C) temperatures during long-term thermal exposure at 704 and 760 °C are systematically investigated in this work. The results showed that a higher exposure temperature and a longer exposure time significantly accelerate the γ′ coarsening and σ precipitation. The σ particles were detrimental to the alloy by acting as the preferential nucleation sites for cracks, and the reduction in tensile strengths was mainly caused by the increasing size of γ′ precipitates during thermal exposure. Furthermore, there were significant differences between the deformation mechanisms of room-temperature and elevated-temperature (760 °C) tensile tests. Concerning the deformation mechanism of γ-matrix, planar slipping dominates during tensile testing at room temperature, while the formation of stacking faults and microtwinning are primary during tensile testing at elevated temperature (760 °C). The dominant precipitation strengthening mechanism depended on the γ′ characteristics of different thermal exposure conditions and the tensile temperature. The 704 °C/100 h exposure sample shows a dislocation shearing mechanism when tested at room or elevated (760 °C) temperature. Notably, the 760 °C/1000 h exposure sample exhibits a mixed precipitation strengthening mechanism of Orowan bypassing and superlattice stacking faults shearing when tensile tested at room temperature while showing a dislocation and superlattice stacking faults shearing mechanism when tensile tested at elevated (760 °C) temperature.

Precipitation behaviors of the rapidly-solidified Allvac 718Plus superalloy during aging treatment

Precipitation behaviors of the rapidly-solidified Allvac 718Plus superalloy during aging treatment

Precipitation sequences in rapidly solidified Allvac 718Plus alloy during solution treatment

• A supersaturated solid solution and a higher composition uniformity of the γ-matrix in 718Plus result from the rapid solidification technology. • The growth/coarsening of η phase is mainly attributed to the stacking faults with 1 6 [ 211 ] γ Shockley partial dislocations. • The dissolution of η phase is achieved by the climbing of 1 4 [ 0001 ] η edge dislocations. • The Laves (C14) phase nucleates at MC carbides, promoted by the Cr segregation in the surrounding γ-matrix, and the Mo and Nb segregations at the edge of MC particles. Allvac 718Plus alloy is a compromising Ni-based superalloy at elevated-temperature of 704 °C, due to its combination of good mechanical properties and excellent structure stability. The precipitation behaviors during heat treatment in Allvac 718Plus alloy processed by rapid solidification technique were systematically investigated in this work. The evolution of secondary phases in rapidly solidified (RS) 718Plus alloy during annealing at 960 °C is: η + M C in 1 h, η + M C + Laves (C14) in 6 h, and M C + Laves (C14) in longer duration. The growth and dissolution behaviors of η phase are evidenced in RS samples and different types of dislocations at the η/γ interface are characterized. Based on these experimental observations, we examine the transformation mechanisms of γ→η and η→γ, which are related to the formation of stacking faults (SFs) with a 1 6 [ 211 ] γ Shockley partial dislocation and the climbing of 1 4 [ 0001 ] η edge dislocations at the η/γ interface, respectively. Both M C and Laves (C14) phases are enriched in Nb and Mo, with a higher level of Ti in M C carbides and Cr in the Laves (C14) phase. The precipitation of M C carbides is driven by the high concentration of C atoms in γ-matrix, while the Cr segregation promotes the later nucleation of Laves (C14) phase in γ-matrix around M C carbides, which is due to the Cr atoms rejection from M C carbides into the matrix.

Residual stresses and microstructure within Allvac 718Plus laser powder bed fusion bars

The residual stresses within Allvac 718Plus bars built using LBPF with different laser powers, speeds and table displacements were measured using diffraction and mechanical methods and modelled with the baseplate attached and then removed. The residual stress profiles within the bars from the top surface down through the bulk were all quite similar, becoming less tensile due to a strain hardening mechanism. Table displacement has the greatest impact on residual stress, decreasing with increasing displacement/powder layer thickness. There was good agreement amongst the modeling and measurements. The microstructures were examined and varied slightly with energy density with higher densities having larger grains and enhanced post solidification diffusion. Energy density had minimal impact on the residuals stresses within the parameters to produce dense material.

Correlation Between Local Chemical Composition and Formation of Different Types of Ordered Phases in the Polycrystalline Nickel‐Base Superalloy A718Plus

Allvac 718Plus is a derivative of alloy 718 for applications at higher temperatures in rotating and static components of gas turbines. According to literature, various phases as γ, γ′, η, δ, and γ″ can form with so far contradicting results. Herein, the precipitation behavior in different alloy conditions is investigated using transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. The aim is to clarify how local variations in chemical composition alter the sequence of precipitation and type of precipitates that form. Material conditions with a minor volume fraction of η/δ phase and a high fraction of primary γ′ precipitates form γ″ phase due to excess of available Nb. Spherical γ′ precipitates with disc‐shaped γ″ precipitates at γ′ interfaces are observed. During discontinuous coarsening of η/δ plates mainly Nb is consumed which leads to an enrichment of γ′ forming elements and hence the heterogeneous nucleation of γ′ at the η/γ interface. The coexistence of thin η plates embedded in δ phase in grain boundary pinning precipitates could additionally be confirmed. These results show under which conditions certain primary phases form and how the resulting consumption and redistribution of phase promoting elements trigger the formation of other secondary phases.

The precipitation of η phase during the solution treatments of Allvac 718Plus

The precipitation of η phase during the solution treatments of Allvac 718Plus was investigated in this study. The results showed that there was free-γ′ zone appearing around η phase which was consistent with the hexagonal η-Ni3(Al/Ti)0.5Nb0.5 after heat treatments. The granular η phase was found to be the transition of the plate-like η phase and have no pinning effect against the grain boundary, while the plate-like η phase has a pinning effect on the grain boundary and leads to the formation of serrated grain boundaries. With the solution temperature increasing, the size and fraction of η phase were observed to increase and then decrease with the morphology changing from granular to plate-like and then to granular. With the solution time prolonging, the fraction and size of η phase were increased, and the η phase formed in a cellular mode and then grow in a Widmanstätten morphology into the grain with its morphology changing from the dominant granular/plate-like to Widmanstättan structure. It was found that the increase in room temperature microhardness with the solution time changing from 6 h to 24 h was caused by the formation of Widmanstätten η phase.

Delta processing effects on the creep behavior of a typical Nb-bearing nickel-based superalloy

Since the δ phase is stable at temperatures higher than the normal service conditions but the γ" phase looses its strengthening effects, the formation of large amount of δ phase might be advantageous. In this work, it was revealed that such a delta processed microstructure can be obtained via overaging at 810 °C in Inconel 718 superalloy and its modified version known at Allvac 718Plus. While the peak aged samples (720 °C for 8 h) with the strengthening γ" phase lost their creep resistance at temperatures higher than 649 °C, the delta processed samples showed lower steady state creep rates and higher creep lives (rupture lifetime). Therefore, this study might shed light on the applicability of well-designed delta processing for creep resistance at higher temperatures in similar alloys.

The Effects of Solutionizing Temperature on the Microstructure of Allvac 718Plus

A study of the microstructural evolution of a Ni-based superalloy, Allvac 718Plus, in the forged condition, was performed by varying the solutionizing temperature. Different solutionizing temperatures were chosen to obtain different fractions of the gamma prime (Ni3(Al,Ti,Nb), γ′) and delta (Ni3Nb, δ) precipitates. The solutionizing temperatures ranged between 954 to 1100 °C based on the solvus temperature of the γ′ phase. The 954 °C solutionizing treatment resulted in incomplete dissolution of the γ′ phase and a relatively high-volume fraction of the δ phase, which formed preferentially at grain boundaries. The γ′ phase was completely dissolved during each of the other three solutionizing treatments (1000, 1050, and 1100 °C), while the fraction of the δ phase decreased with increasing solutionizing temperature. The 1100 °C solutionizing treatment led to significant grain growth of the matrix γ phase. After solutionizing, the samples were subjected to a standard two-step aging treatment (788 °C for 8 h followed by 704 °C for 8 h) to see the relative effect of the solutionizing on the precipitation during aging.

Application of analytical electron microscopy and FIB-SEM tomographic technique for phase analysis in as-cast Allvac 718Plus superalloy

Abstract The superalloys are usually used as structural material in jet engines due to their high-temperature stability and good endurance. Many components found in the hot-part of jet engines are of complex shape, therefore casting is utilized for to their production. One of the problems associated with the casting process of highly alloyed alloys, such as superalloys, is partitioning of alloying elements upon solidification. This segregation might lead to the formation of low melting temperature eutectics. Their presence in the material microstructure will have a negative effect on the weldability. Negative impact on weldability is one of the reasons why secondary phases should be avoided as microstructural elements in the welded materials. To eliminate such hazardous phases, the material should be subjected to a heat treatment with the aim of homogenizing the microstructure and chemical composition, which should enhance the weldability. The aim of this work was the application of analytical electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy as well as tomographic techniques for qualitative and quantitative characterization of structural elements in as-cast Allvac 718Plus Ni-based superalloy subjected to later heat treatment. Alloy 718Plus is a newly developed superalloy in which the secondary Laves phase forms as a low-melting eutectic upon casting. The development of innovative materials for aeronautics and clean energy systems requires the use of modern research methods for structure characterization on the level from micro- to the nanoscale. The performed analysis, allowed identification of phases (Laves and η) occurring in interdendritic regions of as-cast Allvac 718Plus superalloy and analyzing their microstructure down to the atomic scale, which revealed their complex nature. The experiments and investigation show that advanced microscopic techniques and test methods in conjunction with tomographic techniques enable complementary information about solidified structures of the alloy to be obtained that can be useful for the understanding process of casting and welding of the Allvac 718Plus.

Creep performance and damage mechanism for Allvac 718Plus superalloy

The creep behavior, creep damage and creep life of 718Plus alloy were investigated at temperatures ranging from 650 to 750 °C in air. The fracture surface, microstructure evolution and deformation mechanisms were studied by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscope (SEM and TEM). The results show that creep curves of 718Plus alloy consist of primary stage and tertiary stage without steady-state region. The Monkman-Grant relationship of 718Plus alloy can be described by tr = 9.32E-2/(ε̇min)0.75 and apparent creep activation energy of 718Plus alloy is about 572.7 kJ/mol. Further investigation shows creep damage of alloy at 650 °C can be mainly ascribed to the effect of grain boundary sliding (GBS) and microtwinning. The alloy shows transgranular fracture at high stress, while it presents ductile fracture at low stress due to the nucleation, growth and linkage of creep voids. At 750 °C, the alloy failed in the form of ductile fracture mainly due to the microstructure instability and dislocation glide. At higher stress of 700 °C, the effect of GBS is mainly responsible for the creep damage of 718Plus alloy, while GBS, dislocation glide and microstructure instability work together and lead to the creep damage of alloys at lower stress of 700 °C. The fracture mechanism map and fracture models for 718Plus alloy were constructed. Remaining life assessment of 718Plus alloys was also evaluated by Larson-Miller parameter method.

Microstructure Evolution of Nickel-Based Superalloys Induced by Thermomechanical Processing - Simulation and Verification

It is known that different parts of the gas turbine engine discs are operated at different temperature and load. Therefore, it is advisable to make such components out of nickel-based superalloys with a regulated structure that provides them the best operational properties. It is important to know the thermomechanical treatment for their processing to form such structures. Research of the deformation behavior and the microstructure evolution of nickel-based superalloys were carried out on small specimens. The accumulated strains and the stress distribution in specimens were determined during simulation. It is possible to predict structure formation on the basis of a deflected mode. Verification was carried out by isothermal upsetting of specimens out of superalloys at the temperature and strain rates determined by simulation. Thermomechanical treatments of the superalloys for different microstructure formation were defined. The features of the microstructure formation are shown depending on the chemical and phase composition of the alloys. Hot deformation of the ATI Allvac 718Plus superalloy leads to dissolution of the gamma prime phase that facilitates the deformation capacity. Increasing the alloyage of superalloys, including rhenium, leads to formation of a necklace structure instead of a homogeneous fine-grained structure for less alloyed superalloys at the same strain.

Characterization of microstructure and mechanical properties of electron beam welded Allvac 718Plus butt welded joint

Characterization of microstructure and mechanical properties of electron beam welded Allvac 718Plus butt welded joint

On post-weld heat treatment cracking in tig welded superalloy ATI 718Plus

The susceptibility of heat affected zone (HAZ) to cracking in Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welded Allvac 718Plus superalloy during post-weld heat treatment (PWHT) was studied. Contrary to the previously reported case of low heat input electron beam welded Allvac 718Plus, where HAZ cracking occurred during PWHT, the TIG welded alloy is crack-free after PWHT, notwithstanding the presence of similar micro-constituents that caused cracking in the low input weld. Accordingly, the formation of brittle HAZ intergranular micro-constituents may not be a sufficient factor to determine cracking propensity, the extent of heat input during welding may be another major factor that influences HAZ cracking during PWHT of the aerospace superalloy Allvac 718Plus.

Superplastic Behavior of ATI 718Plus Superalloy

Complex shaped, ultra thin-walled parts can be manufactured using superplastic forming. Hot working temperature for the production of fine-grained billets (d=5-15 μm) out of ATI Allvac 718Plus® superalloy is in the range of 982-1038°C. An ultrafine-grained structure (d=0.3 μm) was produced by multi-axial forging with a gradual decrease of the forging temperature from 950 to 700°C. Superplastic properties of the alloy were carried out in the temperature interval of 700-950°C. It has been revealed that the fine-grained alloy provided superplastic elongations about 300% at 950°C and strain rate of 10-4 s-1. The highest elongation of ultrafine-grained alloy was about 1450% and very low flow stresses were reached at 900°C and strain rate of 3×10-4 s-1. The ultrafine-grained alloy showed superplastic properties also at 700°C (0.62Tm). The microstructure and superplastic properties of the alloys 718 and 718Plus are compared.

Superalloys: an introduction with thermal analysis

Nickel based superalloys are commonly used materials in the aero industry and more specifically in the hot section of aero engines. These nickel and nickel iron based superalloys are precipitation strengthened alloys with a face centered cubic gamma matrix. Alloy 718, Allvac 718Plus and Waspaloy have been of great interest in the present study. Alloy 718 is a precipitation strengthened nickel-iron based alloy having gamma double prime phase (Ni 3 Nb) as a main strengthening phase up to 650 °C. Waspaloy, another precipitation strengthened nickel base superalloy, has a very good strength at temperatures up to ~750 °C whereas Allvac 718Plus is a newly developed nickel based precipitation strengthened superalloy which retains good mechanical properties at up to ~700 °C. These three alloys were investigated in terms of how their respective solidification process reveals upon cooling.Latent heat of soloidification has been estimated for all three alloys. Differential thermal analyses (DTA) have been used to approach the task. It was seen that Waspaloy has the smallest solidification range whereas Allvac 718Plus has the largest solidification interval in comparison.

Creep Deformation of Allvac 718Plus

The creep deformation behavior of Allvac 718Plus was studied over the temperature range of 923 K to 1005 K (650 °C to 732 °C) at initial applied stress levels ranging from 517 to 655 MPa. Over the entire experimental temperature–stress regime this alloy exhibits Class M-type creep behavior with all creep curves exhibiting a decelerating strain rate with strain or time throughout primary creep. However, unlike pure metals or simple solid solution alloys, this gamma prime strengthened superalloy does not exhibit steady-state creep. Rather, primary creep is instantly followed by a long duration of accelerating strain rate with strain or time. These creep characteristics are common among the gamma prime strengthened superalloys. Allvac 718Plus also exhibits a very high temperature dependence of creep rate. Detailed TEM examination of the deformation structures of selected creep samples reveals dislocation mechanisms similar to those found in high volume fraction gamma prime strengthened superalloys. Strong evidence of microtwinning is found in several of the deformation structures. The presence of microtwinning may account for the strong temperature dependence of creep rate observed in this alloy. In addition, due to the presence of Nb and thus, grain boundary delta phase, matrix dislocation activity which is not present in non-Nb-bearing superalloys occurs in this alloy. The creep characteristics and dislocation mechanisms are presented and discussed in detail.

On the precipitation of delta phase in ALLVAC® 718Plus

ALLVAC 718Plus is a new commercial superalloy derived from Inconel 718, but possessing a higher temperature capability whilst employing the same philosophy regarding the microstructure. Many articles have been published describing various heat treatments exploiting the precipitation of intermetallic phases at grain boundaries to optimize the mechanical properties over a range of testing conditions. The requirement to further improve the mechanical properties of this alloy drives our interest in the precipitation mechanism of the delta and eta phases found in this alloy. We report the presence of finely layered structures composed of two phases, delta and eta, with distinct structures and chemistries. Possible pathways to explain this precipitation in 718Plus are considered as follows: (i) the sequential formation of the delta from eta phase and (ii) the simultaneous precipitation of both eta and delta facilitated via solute rejection. Both can result in the formation of those small delta layers observed in HRSTEM. We discuss which is most likely by comparing the relative alignment of the phases by image processing and the analysis of the HRSTEM images, and propose formation mechanisms consistent with the distinctive dislocation structures observed at the interface.

Thermodynamic stability and electronic structure of η-Ni6Nb(Al,Ti) from first principles

First principles calculations in combination with special quasirandom structures are used to investigate the thermodynamic stability and electronic structure of a partially ordered hexagonal phase with chemistry Ni 6 Nb(Al,Ti) observed in Allvac 718Plus. The results agree with the experimental observations by confirming the structural stability of the alloy over a wide range of compositions. At finite temperature, vibrational and configurational contributions to the free energy stabilize a competing orthorhombic phase, which is shown to become energetically favourable for high Ti concentrations.

Intergranular crack tip oxidation in a Ni-base superalloy

High-temperature intergranular crack tip oxidation under a single 600 s long sustained tensile load at 700°C was studied for the Ni-base superalloy Allvac 718Plus. High-resolution analytical techniques showed oxidation to take place at and immediately ahead of the tip of an open crack, forming a closed but layered oxide structure about the prior (now oxidized) grain boundary. Near the prior grain boundary the oxide is Ni-rich, with a Co-enriched layer furthest away from the metal and a Fe-enriched region below this. A Cr-rich oxide is present below the outer Ni-rich oxides throughout the crack, also in the direction of crack growth. This is believed to have a hindering effect on oxidation ahead of the crack. Ni3(Nb,Al) γ′ precipitates close to the grain boundaries were found to oxidize and form regions of near-stoichiometric NiO within the oxide layers. Remaining constituents of γ′ (e.g. Al and Nb) were found to be enriched in the surrounding oxidized matrix and also to produce thin oxide layers near the interface between the unoxidized metal and the Cr-rich oxide. The formation of the crack tip oxides is discussed with regard to thermodynamics, kinetics and the influence of applied mechanical load.

Effect of different solution heattreatments on hot ductility of superalloysPart 2 – Allvac 718Plus

The hot ductility of Allvac 718Plus for different solution heat treatments (954°C–15 h, 954°C–1 h, 982°C–1 h and 1050°C–3 h+954°C–1 h) has been investigated using Gleeble testing. Substantial variations in the microstructure among the heat treatments affected the Gleeble test hot ductility only to a very limited extent. Constitutional liquation of the NbC phase was found to be the main cause for the poor ductility at high testing temperatures in the on-heating cycle as well as at the lower temperatures on-cooling. Grain boundary δ phase was seen to assist the constitutional liquation of the NbC phase. Based on established evaluation criteria for Gleeble ductility testing, a ranked indicator for weldability is suggested.