Grain Boundary Engineering of a Low Stacking Fault Energy Ni-based Superalloy

The effects of thermo-mechanical processing parameters on the resulting microstructure of an experimental Nickel-based superalloy containing 24 wt pct Co were investigated. Hot compression tests were performed at temperatures ranging from 1293 K to 1373 K (1020 to 1100 °C) and strain rates ranging from 0.0005 to 0.1/s. The mechanically deformed samples were also subject to annealing treatments at sub-solvus 1388 K (1115 °C) and super-solvus 1413 K (1140 °C) temperatures. This investigation sought to quantify and subsequently understand the behavior and evolution of both the grain boundary structure and length fraction of Σ3 twin boundaries in the low stacking fault energy superalloy. Over the range of deformation parameters investigated, the corresponding deformation mechanism map revealed that dynamic recrystallization or dynamic recovery was dominant. These conditions largely promoted post-deformation grain refinement and the formation of annealing twins following annealing. Samples deformed at strain rates of 0.0005 and 0.001/s at 1333 K and 1373 K (1060 °C and 1100 °C) exhibited extensive grain boundary sliding/rotation associated with superplastic flow. Upon annealing, deformation conditions that resulted predominately in superplastic flow were found to provide negligible enhancement of twin boundaries and produced little to no post-deformation grain refinement.