High-temperature oxidation of a Ni-based superalloy was analyzed with samples taken from gas turbine blades, where the samples were heat-treated and thermally exposed. The effect of Cr/Ti/Al elements in the alloy on high temperature oxidation was investigated using an optical microscope, SEM/EDS, and TEM. A high-Cr/high-Ti oxide layer was formed on the blade surface under the heat-treated state considered to be the initial stage of high-temperature oxidation. In addition, a PFZ (γ’ precipitate free zone) accompanied by Cr carbide of Cr23C6 and high Cr-Co phase as a kind of TCP precipitation was formed under the surface layer. Pits of several μm depth containing high-Al content oxide was observed at the boundary between the oxide layer and PFZ. However, high temperature oxidation formed on the thermally exposed blade surface consisted of the following steps: ① Ti-oxide formation in the center of the oxide layer, ② Cr-oxide formation surrounding the inner oxide layer, and ③ Al-oxide formation in the pits directly under the Cr oxide layer. It is estimated that the Cr content of Ni-based superalloys improves the oxidation resistance of the alloy by forming dense oxide layer, but produced the σ or μ phase of TCP precipitation with the high-Cr component resulting in material brittleness.

In this study, solid solution heat treatment of consolidated nickel-based superalloy powders is carried out by hot isotactic pressing. The effects of the cooling rate of salt quenching, and air cooling on the microstructures and the mechanical properties of the specimens are analyzed . The specimen that is air cooled shows the formation of serrated grain boundaries due to their obstruction by the carbide particles. Moreover, the specimen that is salt quenched shows higher strength than the one that is air cooled due to the presence of fine and close-packed tertiary gamma prime phase. The tensile elongation at high temperatures improves due to the presence of grain boundary serrations in the specimen that is air cooled. On the contrary, the specimen that is salt quenched and consists of unserrated grain boundaries shows better creep properties than the air cooled specimen with the serrated grain boundaries, due to the negative creep phenomenon.

Appropriate thermo-mechanical properties of nickel-based superalloys are achieved by heat treatment, which induces precipitation and solid solution hardening; thus, information on the temperature ranges of precipitation and dissolution of the precipitates is essential for the determination of the heat treatment condition. In this study, thermal analyses of nickelbased superalloys were performed by differential scanning calorimetry method under conditions of various heating rates of 5, 10, 20, or 40K/min in a temperature range of 298~1573K. Precipitation and dissolution temperatures were determined by measuring peak temperatures, constructing trend lines, and extrapolating those lines to the zero heating rate to find the exact temperature under isothermal condition. Determined temperatures for the precipitation reactions were 813, 952, and 1062K. Determined onset, peak, and offset temperatures of the first dissolution reaction were 1302, 1388, and 1406K, respectively, and those values of the second dissolution reaction were 1405, 1414, and 1462K. Determined solvus temperature was 1462K. The study showed that it was possible to use a simple method to obtain accurate phase transition temperatures under isothermal condition.

Super alloys, which can be divided into three categories, i.e. Ni-base, Co-base, and Fe-base alloys, are widely used for high temperature applications. Since superalloys contain many alloying elements and precipitates, their chemistry and processing parameters need to be carefully designed. In this study, we designed a new Ni alloy to prevent corrosion due to water vapor and gases at high temperatures. The new alloy was designed using the theoretical value of the resulting energy electronic state calculation(DV-Xα method). The components that were finally used were Cr, Mo, and Ti, with Ni as a base. For these alloys, elements were selected in order to compare their values with that of the average theoretical basis for an Inconel 625 alloy. Finally, two kinds of Ni alloy were designed: Ni-28Cr-4Mo-2Ti and Ni-20Cr-10Mo-1Ti.

A strain-gradient crystal plasticity constitutive model was developed in order to predict the Hall Petch behavior of a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy. The constitutive model involves statistically stored dislocation and geometrically necessary dislocation densities, which were incorporated into the Bailey-Hirsch type flow stress equation with six strength interaction coefficients. A strain-gradient term (called slip-system lattice incompatibility) developed by Acharya was used to calculate the geometrically necessary dislocation density. The description of Kocks-Argon-Ashby type thermally activated strain rate was also used to represent the shear rate of an individual slip system. The constitutive model was implemented in a user material subroutine for crystal plasticity finite element method simulations. The grain size dependence of the flow stress (viz., the Hall- Petch behavior) was predicted for a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy NIMONIC PE16. Simulation results showed that the present constitutive model fairly reasonably predicts 0.2%-offset yield stresses in a limited range of the grain size.

Nickel-based superalloy IN 713C powders have been consolidated by hot isostatic pressing (HIPing). The microstructure and mechanical properties of the superalloys were investigated at the HIPing temperature ranging from 1030o C to 1230o C. When the IN 713C powder was heated above γ' solvus temperature (about 1180o C), the microstruc- ture was composed of the austenitic FCC matrix phase γ plus a variety of secondary phases, such as γ' precipitates in γ matrix and MC carbides at grain boundaries. The yield and tensile strengths of HIPed specimens at room temperature were decreased while the elongation and reduction of area were increased as the processing temperature increased. At 700o C, the strength was similar regardless of HIPing temperature; however, the ductility was drastically increased with increasing the temperature. It is considered that these properties compared to those of cast products are originated from the homogeneity of microstructure obtained from a PM process.

An attempt was made to evaluate creep reliability of two commercial Ni-based superalloys by using ultrasonic wave. The materials include fine-grained PM alloy fabricated by mechanical alloying and subsequent hot isostatic pressing, and IN738LC cast alloy with a grain size of a few cm. Microstructural parameters (fraction of creep cavity and size of precipitates) and ultrasonic parameters (velocity, attenuation) were measured to try to find relationships between them. Ultrasonic velocity decreased with creep cavity formation in PM alloy. On the other hand, no distinct changing trend of ultrasonic velocity was observed for IN738LC alloy. Ultrasonic attenuation was found to have a linear correlation with the size of precipitates and was suggested as a potential parameter for monitoring creep reliability of IN738LC alloy.

This study was carried out to evaluate the microstructures and mechanical properties of a friction stir welded Ni based alloy. Inconel 600 (single phase type) alloy was selected as an experimental material. For this material, friction stir welding (FSW) was performed at a constant tool rotation speed of 400 rpm and a welding speed of 150~200 mm/min by a FSW machine, and argon shielding gas was utilized to prevent surface oxidation of the weld material. At all conditions, sound friction stir welds without any weld defects were obtained. The electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) method was used to analyze the grain boundary character distributions (GBCDs) of the welds. As a result, dynamic recrystallization was observed at all conditions. In addition, grain refinement was achieved in the stir zone, gradually accelerating from 19 μm in average grain size of the base material to 5.5 μm (150 mm/min) and 4.1 μm (200 mm/min) in the stir zone with increasing welding speed. Grain refinement also led to enhancement of the mechanical properties: the 200 mm/min friction stir welded zone showed 25% higher microhardness and 15% higher tensile strength relative to the base material.

The microstructures and properties of TiC dispersed nickel-base alloy were studied in this work. The alloy prepared by powder metallurgical processing was solution treated, 1st-aged at for 16 hours, and then 2nd-aged at for 4 hours. Microstucture of sintered specimen showed that TiC particles are uniformly dispersed in Ni base alloy. In the specimen aged at for 8 hours, the fine (Al,Ti) precipitates with round shape are observed and the very fine (Al,Ti) particles with round shape are precipitated in the specimen aged at for 4 hours. The presence of precipitates in TiC/Ni base alloy increased the hardness and wear resistance of the specimen. The hardness and wear resistance of the Ni-base with TiC are higher than those of conventional Ni-base superalloy X-750 because of dispersion strengthening of TiC particles. The hardness, transverse rupture strength and resistance of the specimen 2nd-aged at for 4 hours are higher than those of 1st-aged specimen due to ultrafine (Al,Ti) precipitates.

고분자전해질형 연료전지에서 촉매의 활성을 증가시키기 위하여 기존에 사용되고 있는 백금과 전이금속인 chromium, nickel과의 합금을 제조하였다. XRD를 이용하여 합금의 구조가 33˚에서 superlattice line을 가지고 있는 것으로 보아 face centered cubic 구조를 가진 ordered alloy로 이루어졌다는 것을 알 수 있었다. 열처리 온도가 증가할수록 합금의 입자 크기는 증가하였으며, 결정 격자 상수는 감소하였다. 전지성능테스트, cyclic voltammogram 등을 통하여 mass activity, specific activity, Tafel slope, 개회로 전압을 측정한 결과, 합금촉매의 활성이 순수한 백금촉매보다 크게 향상되었음을 알 수 있었다.

제1세대 니켈계 단결정 초합금인 CMSX 6를 사용하여 셀렉타법으로 진공 정밀주조하여 단결정을 제작하였다. 주형온도 약 1500˚C, 주입온도 약 1630˚C와 용탕 주입 직후 주형을 2.5mm/분 속도로 하강시켜 단결정을 성장시켰다. 단결정 주조조직에서 기지와 공정조직은 γ' 석출물(Ni3(Al, Ti)) 모양과 크기에 따라 각각 모두 두영역으로 구분되었으며, 공정조직의 Ti함랗은 기지보다 높았다. 즉, EPMA 및 CBED 분석 등으로 γ' 석출물을 분석한 결과, 기지내의 γ'은 크기가 0.5~0.7μm 이하이며 화학조성상 Ni3Al에 가까웠으며 격자구조도 Ll2를 나타내었다. 반면에 공정조직에 가까울수록 γ' 크기는 1.0μm보다 컸으며, 모양도 판상형의 거대한 모양으로 바뀌었다. 화학조성 또한 Ni3Ti에 가까웠으며 격자구조도 D O24를 나타내었으므로 수지상과 공정조직의 γ' 석출물은 화학조성 및 격자구조가 상이함을 알 수 있었다.

320˚C, 40%NaOH 용액의 autoclave에서 약 300wppm의 탄소를 함유하고 있는 15Cr-9Fe-balanced Ni 합금 판상시편에 대해 응력부식 저항성을 조사하였다. 부식시편은 700˚C, 100시간 동안의 열처리로 합금내부에 석출될 수 있는 가능한 한 많은 양의 크롬계 탄화물을 석출시킨 후, 다시 재용해에 의해 크롬계 탄화물의 형태를 조절하는 800˚C-950˚C범위의 최종열처리를 시행하고 급냉시킨 다음 U-자형으로 응력을 가하여 준비되었다. 최종열처리 온도가 올라감에 따라 시편들의 입계응력부식균열(IGSCC ) 전파속도는 900˚C까지는 거의 직선적으로 증가하다가 950˚C에서는 700˚C에서 얻은 값보다도 더 낮게 감소하였다. 즉, 크롬계 탄화물이 재용해되어 그 밀도가 감소함에 따라 IGSCC저항성이 감소하다가 완전히 재용해된 950˚C 열처리 조건에서 오히겨 가장 큰 IGSCC 저항성을 나타내었다. 이와같은 최조열처리 온도에 따른 니켈계 합금 600의 부식거동은 입계에 존재하는 크롬계탄화물의 형태변화 때문이 아니라 입계에서 탄소-크롬계 탄화물-크롬간의 상평형에 의해 이루어지는 탄소의 입계편석량이 크롬계탄화물이 존재할 때에는 열처리 온도에 따라 증가하다가 그것이 완전히 재용해 되었을 때 가장 낮아지기 때문인 것으로 생각된다.