Grain boundary engineering the mechanical properties of Allvac 718PlusTM superalloy

Grain Boundary Engineering (GBE™) can enhance the population of structurally-ordered “low ” Coincidence Site Lattice (CSL) grain boundaries in the microstructure. In some alloys, these “special” grain boundaries have been reported to improve overall resistance to corrosion, oxidation, and creep resistance. Such improvements could be quite beneficial for superalloys, especially in conditions which encourage damage and cracking at grain boundaries. Therefore, the effects of GBE processing on high temperature mechanical properties of the cast and wrought superalloy Allvac 718Plus™ were screened. Bar sections were subjected to varied GBE processing, and then consistently heat treated, machined, and tested at 650 C. Creep, tensile stress relaxation, and dwell fatigue crack growth tests were performed. The influences of GBE processing on microstructure, mechanical properties, and associated failure modes are discussed. (AU) © 2010 by The Materials, Metals, & Materials Society. All rights reserved.