Competitive oxidation behavior of Ni-based superalloy GH4738 at extreme temperature

A high thrust-to-weight ratio poses challenges to the high-temperature performance of Ni-based superalloys. The oxidation behavior of GH4738 at extreme temperatures has been investigated by isothermal and non-isothermal experiments. As a result of the competitive diffusion of alloying elements, the oxide scale included an outermost porous oxide layer (OOL), an inner relatively dense oxide layer (IOL), and an internal oxide zone (IOZ), depending on the temperature and time. A high temperature led to the formation of large voids at the IOL/IOZ interface. At 1200℃, the continuity of the Cr-rich oxide layer in the IOL was destroyed, and thus, spallation occurred. Extension of oxidation time contributed to the size of Al-rich oxide particles with the increase in the IOZ. Based on this finding,the oxidation kinetics of GH4738 was discussed, and the corresponding oxidation behavior at 900-1100℃ was predicted.

Additive manufacturing of Ni-based superalloys: Residual stress, mechanisms of crack formation and strategies for crack inhibition

The additive manufacturing(AM)of Ni-based superalloys has attracted extensive interest from both academia and industry due to its unique capabilities to fabricate complex and high-performance components for use in high-end industrial systems.However,the intense temperature gradient induced by the rapid heating and cooling processes of AM can generate high levels of residual stress and metastable chemical and structural states,inevitably leading to severe metallurgical defects in Ni-based superalloys.Cracks are the greatest threat to these materials’integrity as they can rapidly propagate and thereby cause sudden and non-predictable failure.Consequently,there is a need for a deeper understanding of residual stress and cracking mechanisms in additively manufactured Ni-based superalloys and ways to potentially prevent cracking,as this knowledge will enable the wider application of these unique materials.To this end,this paper comprehensively reviews the residual stress and the various mechanisms of crack formation in Ni-based superalloys during AM.In addition,several common methods for inhibiting crack formation are presented to assist the research community to develop methods for the fabrication of crack-free additively manufactured components.

Improvement strategies for Ni-based alcohol steam reforming catalysts

Steam reforming(SR)of fossil methane is already a well-known,documented and established expertise in the industrial sector as it accounts for the vast majority of global hydrogen production.From a sustainable development perspective,hydrogen production by SR of biomass-derived feedstock represents a promising alternative that could help to lower the carbon footprint of the traditional process.In this regard,bio-alcohols such as methanol,ethanol or glycerol are among the attractive candidates that could serve as green hydrogen carriers as they decompose at relatively low temperatures in the presence of water compared to methane,allowing for improved H_(2)yields.However,significant challenges remain regarding the activity and stability of nickel-based catalysts,which are most widely used in alcohol SR processes due to their affordability and ability to break C–C,O–H and C–H bonds,yet are prone to rapid deactivation primarily caused by coke deposition and metal particle sintering.In this state-of-the-art review,a portfolio of strategies to improve the performance of Ni-based catalysts used in alcohol SR processes is unfolded with the intent of pinpointing the critical issues in catalyst development.Close examination of the literature reveals that the efforts tackling these recurring issues can be directed at the active metal,either by tuning Ni dispersion and Ni-support interactions or by targeting synergistic effects in bimetallic systems,while others focus on the support,either by modifying acid-base character,oxygen mobility,or by embedding Ni in specific crystallographic structures.This review provides a very useful tool to orient future work in catalyst development.

Active straining engineering on self-assembled stacked Ni-based hybrid electrode for ultra-low overpotential

Generating sufficient strains on metal surfaces are highly challenging owing to that most metals can deform plastically to relax the strains on the surfaces.In this work,we developed a facile but highly efficient stacked deposition strategy to in situ activation and reconstruction of NiO/NiOOH on Ni matrix,following with the migration of Fe ions to NiOOH.The Fe sites on the Ni/NiO/NiOOH facilitate the formation of the stable*OH oxygenated intermediates,and the Ni matrix in the catalyst provides the catalyst excellent stability.The oxygen evolution reaction(OER)performance of the stacked NiFe-5 with compressive strain displays the strengthened binding to oxygenated intermediates and superior OER activity,the ultralow overpotentials of 162 versus reversible hydrogen electrode at 10 mA cm^(-2).On the other hand,the Ni-5 without the incorporation of Fe has shown an outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)activity,affording an overpotential of 47 mV at 10 mA cm^(-2).The NiFe-5‖Ni-5 enables the overall water splitting at a voltage of 1.508 V to achieve 20 mA cm^(-2) with remarkable durability.The stacked deposition strategy improves binding strength of Ni-based catalysts to oxygenated intermediates via generating compressive strain,causing high catalytic activities on OER and HER.

Tribological properties of nanostructured Al_2O_3-40%TiO_2 multiphase ceramic particles reinforced Ni-based alloy composite coatings

The Ni-based alloy composite coatings reinforced by nanostructured Al2O3-40%TiO2 multiphase ceramic particles were prepared on the surface of 7005 aluminum alloy by plasma spray technology. The microstructure and tribological properties of the composite coatings were researched. The results show that the composite coatings mainly consist of γ-Ni, α-Al2O3, γ-Al2O3 and rutile-TiO2 etc, and exhibit lower friction coefficients and wear losses than the Ni-based alloy coatings at different loads and speeds. The composite coating bears low contact stress at 3 N and its wear mechanism is micro-cutting wear. As loads increase to 6-12 N, the contact stress is higher than the elastic limit stress of worn surface, and the wear mechanisms change into multi-plastic deformation wear, micro-brittle fracture wear and abrasive wear. With the increase of speeds, the contact temperature of worn surface increases. The composite coating experiences multi-plastic deformation wear, fatigue wear and adhesive wear.

Effect of bonding parameters on microstructures and properties during TLP bonding of Ni-based super alloy

Ni-based alloy was transient liquid phase bonded using a BNi-2 interlayer. The effect of bonding parameters on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the joints was investigated. With the increase of bonding temperature or time, the number of Ni-rich and Cr-rich borides and the grain size of precipitation zone decrease. Higher bonding temperature or longer bonding time is beneficial to the diffusion of melting point depressant elements （B and Si） from the PZ to the base metal and atomic interdiffusion between the base metal and the joint. The chemical composition and microstructure of the joints bonded at 1170 ℃ for 24 h are comparable to the base metal. The shear test results show that both the room and elevated temperature shear-strengths of the joints increase with increasing bonding time. However, the effect of bonding time on elevated temperature tensile-shear strength is greater than on room temperature tensile-shear strength.

Morphology and chemical composition of γ/γ' phases in Re-containing Ni-based single crystal superalloy during two-step aging

The γ/γ＇ microstructure of a Re-containing Ni-based single crystal super alloy after a two-step aging was studied using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）,transmission electron microscopy （TEM） and scanning transmission electron microscopy （STEM）.The crystals were grown by the floating zone （FZ） method.Both cuboidal and spherical γ＇ precipitates were formed after a two-step aging.The size of the cuboidal γ＇ phases first increased and then decreased with the extension of the second-step aging time.Re,Co and Cr strongly concentrated in the γ phase whereas Ni and Al enriched in the γ＇ phase.Thermodynamic calculation by JMatPro was performed to explain the experimental observations.

Effects of initial δ phase(Ni_3Nb) on hot tensile deformation behaviors and material constants of Ni-based superalloy

Effects of initial δ phase（Ni_3Nb） on the hot tensile deformation behaviors and material constants of a Ni-based superalloy were investigated over wide ranges of strain rate and deformation temperature. It is found that the true stress-true strain curves exhibit peak stress at a small strain, and the peak stress increases with the increase of initial δ phase. After the peak stress, initial δ phase promotes the dynamic softening behaviors, resulting in the decreased flow stress. An improved Arrhenius constitutive model is proposed to consider the synthetical effects of initial δ phase, deformation temperature, strain rate, and strain on hot deformation behaviors. In the improved model, material constants are expressed as the functions of the content of initial δ phase and strain. A good agreement between the predicted and measured results indicates that the improved Arrhenius constitutive model can well describe hot deformation behaviors of the studied Ni-based superalloy.

Microstructure and shear strength of reactive brazing joints of TiAl/Ni-based alloy

Reactive brazing of TiAl-based intermetallics and Ni-based alloy with Ti foil as interlayer was investigated. The interfacial microstructure and shear strength of the joints were studied. According to the experimental observations, the molten interlayer reacts vigorously with base metals, forming several continuous reaction layers. The typical interfacial microstructure of the joint can be expressed as GH99/（Ni,Cr）ss（γ）/TiNi（β2）＋TiNi2Al（τ4）＋Ti2Ni（δ）/δ＋Ti3Al（α2）＋Al3NiTi2（τ3）/α2＋τ3/TiAl. The maximum shear strength is 258 MPa for the specimen brazed at 1000°C for 10 min. Higher brazing temperature or longer brazing time causes coarsening of the phases in the brazing seam and formation of brittle intermetallic layer, which greatly depresses the shear strength of the joints.

Thermodynamics analysis and precipitation behavior of fine carbide in K416B Ni-based superalloy with high W content during creep

The precipitation behavior of carbide in K416 B superalloy was investigated by means of creep measurement and microstructure observation. The results show that nanometer M6 C particles discontinuously precipitate in the γ matrix or along the γ/γ′ interface of the alloy during high temperature tensile creep. Thereinto, the amount of fine M6 C carbide increases as creep goes on, and the coherent interfaces of M6 C phase precipitating from the γ matrix are {100} and {111} planes. The thermodynamics analysis indicates that the solubility of element carbon in the matrix decreases when the alloy is deformed by the axial tensile stress during creep, so as to cause the carbon segregating in the regions of stress concentration and combining with carbide-forming elements M（W, Co）, which promotes the fine M6 C carbide to precipitate from the γ matrix.

Microstructure evolution of a new directionally solidified Ni-based superalloy after long-term aging at 950 ℃ upto 1 000 h

The microstructure evolution of a new directionally solidified（DS） Ni-based superalloy used for gas turbine blades after long-term aging at 950 ℃ was investigated.The results show that the γ ＇ phase becomes more regular in dendritic arm and interdendritic area,while both the mass fraction and the size of γ ＇ phase increase gradually with increasing aging time.During long-term aging,the MC carbide dissolves on the edge to provide the carbon for the formation of M23C6 carbide by the precipitation of Cr at the grain boundary.The rose-shaped γ ＇/γ eutectic partly dissolves into γ matrix and the aging promotes it transform into raft-shape γ ＇.The microstructure is generally stable and no needle-like topologically close-packed phase（TCP） can be found after aging for 1 000 h.

Solidification characteristics and hot tearing susceptibility of Ni-based superalloys for turbocharger turbine wheel

The solidification characteristics and the hot tearing susceptibility were investigated on two Ni-based superalloys for turbocharger turbine wheel, K418 and K419. The segregation behaviors of the alloying elements and the precipitation phases were also studied. The results show that the solidification behavior of K419 alloy is complicated when compared with K418 due to the interdendritic segregation of many kinds of strong interdendritic partitioning elements in the remaining liquid at the final stage of solidification. The segregation of multiple elements in interdendritic liquid results in an extremely low solidus in K419. A long residual liquid stage is found during the solidification of K419, giving rise to reduced cohesion strength of dendrites and increased sensitivity to hot tearing. A hot tearing susceptibility coefficient（HTS） criterion is proposed based on a hot tearing sensitive model. The HTS value of K419 alloy is larger than that of K418 alloy.

Effect of Rare Earth on Microstructure of Vacuum Melting Ni-Based Self-Fluxing Alloy Coatings

The Ni-based self-fluxing alloy coating containing RE was acquired by the technique of vacuum melting on the hypoeutectoid steel (Fe-0.45%C) matrix. By X-ray diffraction, SEM and EDX, the microstructure and phase structure of section of coating and the microstructure near the interface between coating and matrix were investigated, and the effect of RE on microstructure of coating was also discussed. The results show that the microstructure of the NiCrBSi alloy coating is composed of Ni-based solid solution and a lot of massive, globular and needle secondary phases CrB, Ni_3B, Cr_7C_3, Cr_(23)C_6 among the solid solution. The metallurgical binding between steel matrix and coating is realized. RE makes needle phase of alloy coating vanish. New phases of NiB and Cr_(6.5)Ni_(2.5)Si are precipitated from alloy coating, and secondary phases of alloy coating are sphericized. Consequently, RE also hinders the diffusion of Ni, Cr and Si atoms from coating to matrix and Fe atoms from matrix to coating, holds back the dilution of Fe for NiCrBSi alloy coating, and assures the chemical composition of the alloy coating.

Phase precipitation behavior and tensile properties of as-cast Ni-based superalloy during heat treatment

The phase precipitation behavior and tensile properties of an as-cast Ni-based alloy,IN617B alloy,after solution heat treatment and long-term aging treatment were investigated.Ti(C,N),M6C and M23C6 are the primary precipitates in as-cast microstructure.After solution heat treatment,most of carbides dissolve into the matrix except a few fine Ti(C,N)within grains.During long-term aging at 700°C,the phase precipitation behaviors of the alloy are characterized as follows:(1)M23C6 carbides at grain boundaries(GBs)transform from film-like shape to cellular shape and gradually coarsen due to the decrease of the surface energy and element aggregation to GBs;(2)M23C6 carbides within grains have a bar-like morphology with a preferential growth direction[110]and have a cube-on-cube coherent orientation relationship with the matrixγ;(3)γ?particles inhibit the coarsening of M23C6 within grains by constraining the diffusion of formation elements.Furthermore,the tensile strength of the alloy obviously increases,but the ductility significantly decreases after the aging for 5000 h.The alloy has a relatively stable microstructure which guarantees the excellent tensile properties during long-term aging.

Parameter optimization for tungsten carbide/Ni-based composite coating deposited by plasma transferred arc hardfacing

Ni-based composite coatings with a high content of tungsten carbides(Stelcar65composite coatings)were synthesized by plasma transferred arc(PTA)hardfacing.The welding parameters of Stelcar65composite coatings were optimized by orthogonal tests.The PTA welding parameters including welding current,powder feed rate and welding speed have significant influence on the tungsten carbide degradation.The values for the optimum welding current,powder feed rate and welding speed were determined to be100A,25g/min and40mm/min,respectively.The produced WC/Ni-based composite coatings were crack-and degradation-free.The microstructure of deposited layers,as well as the microstructure and microhardness of the optimal coating were further analyzed.

Ni-based photocatalytic H_2-production cocatalysts

Photocatalysis is believed to be one of the best methods to realize sustainable H2 production. However, achieving this through heterogeneous photocatalysis still remains a great challenge owing to the absence of active sites, sluggish surface reaction kinetics, insufficient charge separation, and a high thermodynamic barrier. Therefore, cocatalysts are necessary and of great significance in boosting photocatalytic H2 generation. This review will focus on the promising and appealing low-cost Ni-based H2-generation cocatalysts as the alternatives for the high-cost and low-abundance noble metal cocatalysts. Special emphasis has been placed on the design principle, modification strategies for further enhancing the activity and stability of Ni-based cocatalysts, and identification of the exact active sites and surface reaction mechanisms. Particularly, four types of modification strategies based on increased light harvesting, enhanced charge separation, strengthened interface interaction, and improved electrocatalytic activity have been thoroughly discussed and compared in detail. This review may open a new avenue for designing highly active and durable Ni-based cocatalysts for photocatalytic H2 generation.

Numerical simulation of dendrite growth in Ni-based superalloy casting during directional solidification process

An understanding of dendrite growth is required in order to improve the properties of castings. For this reason, cellular automaton-finite difference(CA-FD) method was used to investigate the dendrite growth during directional solidification(DS)process. The solute diffusion model combined with macro temperature field model was established for predicting the dendrite growth behavior. Model validation was performed by the DS experiment, and the cooling curves and grain structures obtained by the experiment presented a reasonable agreement with the simulation results. The competitive growth of dendrites was also simulated by the proposed model, and the competitive behavior of dendrites with different misalignment angles was also discussed in detail.Subsequently, 3D dendrites growth was also investigated by experiment and simulation, and both were in good accordance. The influence on dendrites growth of initial nucleus was investigated by three simulation cases, and the results showed that the initial nuclei just had an effect on the initial growth stage of columnar dendrites, but had little influence on the final dendritic morphology and the primary dendrite arm spacing.

Effect of Ni Loading and Ce_(x)Zr_(1-x)O_(2) Promoter on Ni-Based SBA-15 Catalysts for Steam Reforming of Methane

A series of Ni/SBA-15 catalysts with Ni contents ranging from 5wt% to 20wt% as well as 10wt%Ni/10wt%CexZr1-xO2/SBA-15 （x=0, 0.5, 1） were prepared. The structures of the catalysts were characterized using XRD, TPR, TEM and BET techniques. The catalytic activities of the catalysts for steam reforming of methane were evaluated in a continuous flow microreactor. The results indicated that both the Ni/SBA-15 and the Ni/CexZr1-xO2/SBA-15 catalysts had good catalytic activities at at- mospheric pressure. The 10wt%Ni/SBA-15 catalyst exhibited excellent stability at 800 ℃ for time on stream of 740 h. After the reaction, carbon deposits were not formed on the surface of the catalyst. There existed a regular hexagonal mesoporous structure in the Ni/SBA-15 and the Ni/CexZr1-xO2/SBA-15 catalysts. The nickel species and the CexZr1-xO2 component were all confined in the SBA-15 mesopores. The CexZr1-xO2 could promote dispersion of the nickel species in the Ni/CexZr1-xO2/SBA-15 catalysts.

Characteristics of High Temperature Rupture of a Cast Ni-Based Superalloy M963

The rupture behavior of a cast Ni-base superalloy M963 at high temperature has been investi- gated. The microstructure examination shows that there exists a large amount of the carbide and γ-γ' eutectic, which is very harmful to the mechanical properties of M963 superalloy. The tensile strength of M963 superalloy both at room temperature and at high temperatures is higher than that of K17G alloy, but the tensile ductility of the former is much lower than that of the latter. In tensile fracture process with the high strain rate, the open carbides are the initiation site and the carbide/matrix interface is the propagation path of cracks. But in fracture process with the low strain rate, the carbide/matrix interface and cast microvoids are the initiation sites, and the carbide/matrix interface is the propagation path of cracks. The effective ways to improve ductility of M963 superalloy are also suggested.

Transformation mechanism of secondary phase and its effect on intergranular corrosion in laser wire filling welding Ni-based alloy/304 stainless steel

To clarify the transformation mechanism of secondary phase and the mechanism of intergranular corrosion in laser welding Ni-based alloy (Hastelloy C-276)/304 stainless steel with filler wire,the secondary phase was analyzed by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).The evaluation of intergranular corrosion resistance of the welded joints was conducted by double-loop electrochemical potentiokinetic reactivation(DL-EPR) method,and at the same time the chemical compositions of the corrosion surface were analyzed by energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS).The results show that p phase has complete coherence relationship withμphase,and the coherent relationship is described as[001]p//■and[430]p//[0001]μ.Theμphase is rapidly transformed from p phase,which is the inhomogeneous phase transformation.The transformation of secondary phase will increase the susceptibility to intergranular corrosion.Therefore,the transformation of secondary phase should be avoided in the welding process.