The creep behaviors of two fine-grained XD TiAl alloys produced by similar heat treatments

The microstructural characteristics and creep behavior of two fine-grained XD TiAl alloys, Ti-45Al and 47Al-2Nb-2Mn+0.8vol%TiB2 (at%), were investigated. A nearly lamellar structure (NL) and two kinds of fully lamellar (FL) structures in both alloys were prepared by selected heat treatments. The results of microstructural examination and tensile creep tests indicate that the 45XD alloy with a NL structure possesses an inferior creep resistance due to its coarse lamellar spacing and larger amount of equiaxed gamma grains at the grain boundaries, whereas the same alloy in a FL condition with fine lamellar spacing lowers the minimum creep rates. Contrary to 45XD, the 47XD alloy with a NL structure exhibits the best creep resistance. However, 47XD with a FL structure with finer lamellar spacing shows inferior creep resistance. On the basis of microstructural deformation characteristics, it is suggested that the well-interlocked grain boundary and relatively coarse colony size in FL and NL 47XD inhibit sliding and microstructural degradation at the grain boundaries during creep deformation, resulting in better creep resistance. Therefore, good microstructural stability is essential for improving the creep resistance of these alloys.