Effects of grain refinement on cast structure and tensile properties of superalloy K4169 at high pouring temperature

In order to improve the filling ability of large complex thin wall castings, the pouring temperature should be increased, but this will result in the grain coarsening. To overcome this problem, two kinds of grain refiners of Co-Fe-Nb and Cr-Fe-Nb ternary alloys, which contain high stability compound particles, were prepared. The effects of the refiners on the as-cast structures and tensile properties of the K4169 superalloy with different casting conditions were studied by analyzing specimens 110 mm long and 20 mm in diameter.Results showed that the mixture addition of the two refiners in the melt of K4169 can reduce the columnar grain region and decrease the equiaxed grain size greatly. After refinement, the amount of Laves phase decreases and its morphology changes from island to blocky structure. The carbides in the fine grain samples are fine and dispersive. Meanwhile, the porosity in specimens is decreased due to grain refinement. As a result, the yield strength, ultimate strength and the elongation of the specimens are increased. The grain refinement mechanisms are also discussed.

Grain refinement of as-cast superalloy IN718 under action of low voltage pulsed magnetic field

The grain refinement of superalloy IN718 under the action of low voltage pulsed magnetic field was investigated. The experimental results show that fine equiaxed grains are acquired under the action of low voltage pulsed magnetic field. The refinement effect of the pulsed magnetic field is affected by the melt cooling rate and superheating. The decrease of cooling rate and superheating enhance the refinement effect of the low voltage pulsed magnetic field. The magnetic force and the melt flow during solidification are modeled and simulated to reveal the grain refinement mechanism. It is considered that the melt convection caused by the pulsed magnetic field, as well as cooling rate and superheating contributes to the refinement of solidified grains.

COMPUTER SIMULATION OF GRAIN BOUNDARY SEGREGATION BEHAVIOR AND MECHANISMS OF STRENGTHENING OF Mg IN Ni-BASED SUPERALLOYS

This paper used EAM and static relaxation method to simulate the grain boundary segregation behavior of Mg in Ni-based superalloys. The results offer a better understanding in the strengthening mechanism of Mg addition in superalloys. The segregation of Mg increases the grain boundary cohesive bond and the vacancy formation energy, and decreases the mobility of grain boundary dislocation. It results in the retardation of creep voids initiation and growth.

Strength and plasticity improvement induced by strong grain refinement after Zr alloying in selective laser-melted AlSiMg1.4 alloy

In order to enhance the mechanical properties of the selective laser-melted(SLM) high-Mg content AlSiMg1.4 alloy,the Zr element was introduced.The influence of Zr alloying on the processability,microstructure,and mechanical properties of the alloy was systematically investigated through performing microstructure analysis and tensile testing.It was demonstrated that the SLM-fabricated AlSiMg1.4-Zr alloy exhibited high process stability with a relative density of over 99.5% at various process parameters.Besides,the strong grain refinement induced by the primary Al3Zr particle during the melt solidification process simultaneously enhanced both the strength and plasticity of the alloy.The values for the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength,and elongation of the SLM-fabricated AlSiMg1.4-Zr were(343±3) MPa,(485±4) MPa,and(10.2±0.2)%,respectively,demonstrating good strengthplasticity synergy in comparison to the AlSiMg1.4 and other Al-Si-based alloys fabricated by SLM.

Effect of addition temperature on dispersion behavior and grain refinement efficiency of MgO introduced into Mg alloy

The effect of addition temperature of MgO particles(MgOp)on their dispersion behavior and the efficiency of grain refinement in AZ31 Mg alloy was investigated.In addition,the grain refinement mechanism was systematically studied by microstructure characterization,thermodynamic calculation,and analysis of solidification curves.The results show that the grain size of AZ31 Mg alloy initially decreases and then increases as the MgOp addition temperature is increased from 720 to 810℃,exhibiting a minimum value of 136μm at 780℃.The improved grain refinement efficiency with increasing MgOp addition temperature can be attributed to the reduced Mg melt viscosity and enhanced wettability between MgOp and Mg melt.Furthermore,a corresponding physical model describing the solidification behavior and grain refinement mechanism was proposed.

Structure uniformity and limits of grain refinement of high purity aluminum during multi-directional forging process at room temperature

The effect of forging passes on the refinement of high purity aluminum during multi-forging was investigated. The attention was focused on the structure uniformity due to deformation uniformity and the grain refinement limitation with very high strains. The results show that the fine grain zone in the center of sample expands gradually with the increase of forging passes. When the forging passes reach 6, an X-shape fine grain zone is initially formed. With a further increase of the passes, this X-shape zone tends to spread the whole sample. Limitation in the structural refinement is observed with increasing strains during multi-forging process at the room temperature. The grains size in the center is refined to a certain size （110 μm as forging passes reach 12, and there is no further grain refinement in the center with increasing the forging passes to 24. However, the size of the coarse grains near the surface is continuously decreased with increasing the forging passes to 24.

Numerical simulation of acoustic pressure field for ultrasonic grain refinement of AZ80 magnesium alloy

Ultrasound with different intensities was applied to treating AZ80 alloy melt to improve its solidification structure.The average grain size of the alloy could be decreased from 303 to 148 μm after the ultrasound with intensity of 30.48 W/cm2 was applied.To gain insight into the mechanism of ultrasonic treatment which affected the microstructure of the alloy,numerical simulations were carried out and the effects of different ultrasonic pressures on the behaviors of cavitation bubble in the melt were studied.The ultrasonic field propagation in the melt was also characterized.The results show that samples from different positions are subjected to different acoustic pressures and the effect of grain refinement by ultrasonic treatment for these samples is different.With the increase of ultrasonic intensity,the acoustic pressure is increased and the grain size is decreased generally.

Effect of electrodes and thermal insulators on grain refinement by electric current pulse

The application of electric current pulse（ECP） to a solidification process refers to the immersion of electrodes into the liquid metal and the employment of thermal insulators on the upper surface of metal.In order to ascertain the effects of these two factors on the structure refinement by the ECP technique,three groups of experiments were performed with different types of electrodes or various thermal insulators.By the comparison between solidification structures under different conditions,it is followed that the electrode and the thermal insulator have an obvious influence on the grain refinement under an applied ECP,and further analysis demonstrates that the thermal conditions of the liquid surface play a vital role in the modification of solidification structure.Also,the results support the viewpoint that most of the equiaxed grains originate from the liquid surface subjected to an ECP.

Effect of Al_2Ca intermetallic compound addition on grain refinement of AZ31 magnesium alloy

The Al2Ca intermetallic compound was prepared by melting process in a vacuum induction furnace. And the A12Ca compound was added in as-cast AZ31 alloys for grain refinement. The effect of its additional levels on grain refinement of as-cast AZ31 alloy was investigated and the mechanism of the grain refinement was discussed. The results reveal that the addition of 1.1% Al2Ca （mass fraction） decreases the average grain size of as-cast AZ31 alloy from 354 to 198 μm. And the thermal stability of the grains refined by Al2Ca is superior. The grain refining mechanism is attributed to the combined effects of solute and heterogeneous nucleation from the Al2Ca.

Grain size based low cycle fatigue life prediction model for nickel-based superalloy

Nickel-based superalloys are easy to produce low cycle fatigue(LCF)damage when they are subjected to high temperature and mechanical stresses.Fatigue life prediction of nickel-based superalloys is of great importance for their reliable practical application.To investigate the effects of total strain and grain size on LCF behavior,the high temperature LCF tests were carried out for a nickel-based superalloy.The results show that the fatigue lives decreased with the increase of strain amplitude and grain size.A new LCF life prediction model was established considering the effect of grain size on fatigue life.Error analyses indicate that the prediction accuracy of the new LCF life model is higher than those of Manson-Coffin relationship and Ostergren energy method.

Effect of processing route on grain refinement in pure copper processed by equal channel angular extrusion

An experimental study of the microstructures in pure copper billets processed by 8 passes of equal channel angular extrusion （ECAE） via an extended range of processing routes with a 90° die is carried out. Each processing route is defined according to the inter-pass billet rotation angle （χ）, which varies from 0° to 180°. According to the generation of high-angle boundaries and reduction of grain size by electron backscatter diffraction （EBSD） measurements, the grain refinement is found to be most efficient for route with χ=90°and least efficient with χ=180°, among the seven routes studied. This trend is supported by supplementary transmission electron microscopy （TEM） measurements. Comparison of the EBSD and TEM data reveals the importance of considering the non-equiaxity of grain structures in quantitative assessment of microstructural differences in ECAE-processed materials.

Grain size effect on cyclic deformation behavior and springback prediction of Ni-based superalloy foil

In order to clarify the influence of grain size on cyclic deformation response of superalloy sheets and springback behavior,cyclic loading-unloading and shearing tests were performed on the superalloy foils with 0.2 mm in thickness and diverse grain sizes.The results show that,the decline ratio of elastic modulus is weakened with increasing grain size,and the Bauschinger effect becomes evident with decreasing grain size.Meanwhile,U-bending test results determine that the springback is diminished with increasing grain size.The Chaboche,Anisotropic Nonlinear Kinematic(ANK)and Yoshida-Uemori(Y-U)models were utilized to fit the shear stress-strain curves of specimens.It is found that Y-U model is sufficient of predicting the springback.However,the prediction accuracy is degraded with increasing grain size.

Simulation of stray grain formation at the platform during Ni-base single crystal superalloy DD403 casting

The mechanism of stray grain formation at the platform of turbine blade simulator and the effect of withdrawal rate （V） on the stray grain phenomenon have been investigated using a macro-scale ProCAST coupled with a 3D Cel ular Automaton Finite Element （CAFE） model. The results indicate that the stray grains nucleate at the edges of platform at V=150μm·s-1 and 200μm·s-1. Using ProCAST computer simulation software, it was proven that the stray grain formation is signiifcantly dependent on the undercooling and the temperature ifeld distribution in the platform. The macroscopic curvature of the liquidus isotherm becomes markedly concave with an increase in the withdrawal rate. The probability of stray grain formation at the edges of platform can be increased by increasing the withdrawal rate in the range of 70μm·s-1 to 200μm·s-1.

EFFECTS OF THREE DIMENSIONAL DIRECTION OF SECOND DENDRITE ON COMPETITIVE GRAIN GROWTH IN DD8 SUPERALLOY

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INFLUENCE OF GRAIN BOUNDARY MORPHOLOGY ON CREEP AND FRACTURE BEHAVIOURS OF SUPERALLOYS IN SULFUR-CONTAINING ENVIRONMENT

Studies on the high temperature creep and fracture behaviours in air or in SO_2 contaminated environment for the Fe-base superalloy GH302 with flat or zigzag grain boundaries(GB) and the Ni-base superalloy Rene 80 were carried out.Although the creep rupture properties of the GH302 with zigzag GB was remarkably superior to that of flat GB in air,the properties of both droped dramatically in 10% SO_2-air environment,the creep rupture properties of the directional solidified Rene 80 were much better than that of the conventionally cast alloy in air,and also kept the same property in SO_2 contaminated environment as in air.Owing to the interaction between creep and sulphidation,the failure mechanism relates to the formation of molten Ni-Ni-3S_2 eutectic along GB,led to the premature failure of the alloy.

Relationship between Grain Size and Fatigue-Creep Interaction Behaviour of Superalloy GH698

The deformation and fracture behaviour of nickel-base superalloy GH698 with different grain size have been studied at 700℃ under fatigue-creep interaction conditions. Compared with coarse-grained specimens, the grain refining process shows obvious effect on the mechanical behaviour of the alloy, i. e. in F and C zones, the fraction of pure fatigue and creep fracture on fracture surfaces is greatly reduced, which decreases and increases the fracture life in zones F and C respectively, in FC and C zones, creep deformation is greatly restrained by the alternating stress component, which increases the fracture life remarkably. It is also proved that in spite of the difference in microstru- tures such as grain size, for a constant tem- perature, a unique life equation t_r=A^n can be used to predict rupture life within the stress region controlled by the same fracture mode.

HREM STUDY OF GRAIN BOUNDARY PHASES IN Fe-Ni-Co-Nb-Ti SUPERALLOY

The microstructures of the grain boundary phases in Fe-Ni-Co-Nb-Ti superalloy have been studied by high resolution electron microscopy (HREM).Besides the Laves phase,three other grain boundary phases have been found and analyzed. The ε phase particles are needle-like with some stacking faults along the(0001) direction. The dominant phase at the grain boundaries is the orthorhombic phase that is also rod-like. High reselution image also confirms the existence of the triclinic phase at the grain boundaries that is irregular and scarce.

An Elasticity Model Considering Grain Boundaries and Tensile Orientations for Directionally Solidified Superalloys

In order to investigate the elastic properties of directionally solidified(DS)superalloys,an elasticity model called boundaries elastic model(GBE model),considering grain boundaries and tensile orientations,is proposed in this paper.Two assumptions are adopted in the GBE model:(1)The displacement of grains,which moves along the perpendicular direction,is restricted by the grain boundaries;(2)Grain boundaries influence region(GBIR)is formed around the grain boundaries.Based on the single crystal(SC)calculation method of elastic properties,the GBE model can well predict macroscopic equivalent elastic modulus(Young’s modulus)of DS superalloys under different tensile orientations effectively.To demonstrate the correctness of the GBE model,3D finite element simulation is adopted and tensile experiments on a Ni3Al?base DS superalloy(IC10)along five tensile orientations are carried out.Meanwhile,the grain boundaries are observed by light microscopy and transmission electron microscope(TEM).Therefore,the GBE model is proved to be feasible by comparing the simulated results with the experiments.

Complicated hollow turbine blades and surface grain refinement process

The control of grain size in superalloys is critical in the manufacture of gas turbine blades.The aim of the present research is to provide the technology for producing complicated hollow turbine blades with fine surface grains and better comprehensive mechanical properties.By melt superheating treatment and coating the internal surfaces of shell mould using a cobalt aluminate-bearing coating material,the in-uence of cobalt aluminate as inoculant on the surface grain sizes of turbine blade was studied with addition of cobalt aluminate:0,35%,45%-65% and 100% respectively.At the same time,the effects of cooling circumstances of the blades on surface grain sizes were also experimented under the same addition of cobalt aluminate.The results showed that the melt superheating treatment plays a significant role in the grain size and carbide morphology;and fine surface grains were obtained when the internal surfaces of shell mould were coated using cobalt aluminate coatings.When the addition of cobalt aluminate in coating is between 45%-65%,and the melt is poured into preheated shell moulds with fine silica sand as backing sand,the blades satisfied the surface grain size requirement is over 90%.In addition,comparisons of the surface grain size and the mechanical properties were also conducted between home-made and foreign-made blades.

Influence of spiral crystal selector on crystal orientation of single crystal superalloy

To increase efficiency and improve performance, reducing cost and emissions, advanced single crystal Ni-based superalloys are required in aerospace propulsion and power generating gas turbines. With the development of alloy, significant improvements in casting techniques have been achieved by introducing the directionally solidified （DS） casting process followed by single crystal （SX） technique. The deviation of preferred orientation of single crystal superalloys is one of the most important defects in casting. In directional solidification equipment with high temperature gradient, single crystal specimens of DZ417G alloy were prepared successfully by the modified Bridgeman method with spiral grain selector. The orientation was investigated by means of X-ray diffraction （XRD） and electron backscattered diffraction （EBSD）.The results show that the crystal selector with a smaller angle can effectively reduce the deviation of preferred orientation.