Carbon additions and grain defect formation in directionally solidified nickel-base superalloys.

Abstract

Over the past fifty years, technological advances leading up to the development of modern high-performance turbine engines for aircraft and power generation applications have coincided with significant engineering accomplishments in the area of Ni-base superalloy metallurgy. As the levels of refractory alloying additions to these Ni-base superalloys increase to enhance high-temperature mechanical properties, grain defect formation, particularly the development of freckle chains, during directional solidification has become an increasingly important problem. In this dissertation, the effect of carbon additions on the solidification characteristics of single crystal Ni-base superalloys has been investigated over a wide range of composition. Using statistically designed experiments, carbon additions of 0.1 to 0.125 wt. % were shown to be beneficial in stabilizing against the formation of grain defects due to thermosolutal convective instabilities. Detailed analyses were performed on the single crystal castings to identify the underlying mechanisms by which the carbon additions improve the solidification characteristics. In addition to forming Ta-rich MC carbides during solidification, the carbon additions were also revealed to influence the segregation behavior of the constituent elements in a manner that was beneficial in suppressing the formation of freckle defects during solidification. Using a segregation mapping technique, less segregation of rhenium, tungsten and tantalum was measured in the carbon containing alloys. Carbide formation during solidification was studied using differential thermal analysis. The influence of carbon additions on the solidification characteristics of the experimental single crystal alloys was assessed using a dimensionless Rayleigh analysis. Based on these analyses, the physical presence of carbides during the initial stages of solidification was also shown to inhibit the formation of freckle defects. In this investigation, carbon additions were revealed to enhance the solidification characteristics of high refractory content Ni-base superalloys through multiple mechanisms. The implications of these findings for the continued development of new superalloys for aircraft engines and power generation turbines are considered.