γ′ Phase Stability and Phase Equilibrium in Ternary Co-Al-W at 900 °C

Phase equilibria at 900 °C in the Co-rich Co-Al-W ternary system are investigated through isothermal annealing of six alloy compositions for times up to 8000 h. The volume fraction of the L12-γ′ phase co-existing with disordered FCC-γ, B2 and D019 phases is found to steadily decrease with increasing annealing time indicating that it is unstable at 900 °C. Additional heat treatments at 850 and 1000 °C further suggest it is a nonequilibrium phase at all temperatures in the ternary system. The L12-γ′ phase dissolves slowly with significant amounts remaining in some alloys after 8000 h at 900 °C. However, the present work clearly indicates the microstructure is moving toward a three-phase equilibrium between γ, D019, and B2. The collected compositional and phase equilibria information provide much needed data for improving the available thermodynamic assessments of the ternary Co-Al-W alloy system.