GH3625 alloy is a wrought nickel-based superalloy mainly used in aeronautical, aerospace, chemical, nuclear, petrochemical, and marine applications industry due to its good mechanical properties, processability, weldability and resistance to high-temperature corrosion on prolonged exposure to aggressive environments. However, in medium and high temperature environment during long-term service, the γ'' is a metastable phase, easily transformed into stable δ phase, or δ phase directly formed in the γ matrix so that alloy performance was deteriorated, leading to the result of alloy failure. At the present work, mass fraction of δ phase in GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube cold deformed to different reductions and then aged at 800 ℃ for different times, were measured by XRD. The effect of cold deformation on the law and kinetics of δ phase precipitation was investigated by SEM, EDS and Image-Pro Plus metallographic analysis. The results show that δ phase first precipitates at the deformation twin and grain boundaries as well as deformation bands, and then precipitates in the grains. The amount of δ phase at the deformation bands increases with the increase of cold deformation. The morphologies of δ phase change gradually from needles to spheroids or rodlike with increasing cold deformation. With the extend of ageing time, the average size of δ phase increases which grows according to LSW theory. At 800 ℃, the relationship between the precipitation content of δ phase and ageing time follows Avrami equation. As cold deformation increases, the content of δ phase increases, the time index n decreases, whereas the δ phase precipitation rate increases. Cold deformation promotes the precipitation of δ phase. The solute drags of Nb in soild solution and pinning of δ phase inhibits the grain growth during ageing process of cold deformed GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube. The hardness of the alloy increases with the extension of the holding time at ε =35% but no obvious change at ε ≥50%.
Fig.1 Time-temperature-transformation diagram of the phases in GH3625 superalloy[14,15]
Fig.2 XRD spectra of GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube under different cold reductions (ε) and ageing times (t) (a) ε=35% (b) ε=50% (c) ε=65%
ε / %
Mass fraction / %
25 h
50 h
75 h
100 h
35
1.58
1.77
1.95
2.15
50
1.73
1.89
2.12
2.24
65
1.88
2.07
2.28
2.34
Table 1 Mass fraction of δ phase in GH3625 superalloy tubes under different cold reductions and ageing times
Fig.3 SEM images (a~c) and EDS scaned along the line shown in Fig.3a (d) of δ phase in cold deformed GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube ageing at 800 ℃ for 75 h under ε =35 % (a), ε =50% (b) and ε =65% (c)
Fig.4 SEM images of δ phase in cold deformed GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube (ε=65%) ageing at 800℃ for 25 h (a), 50 h (b), 75 h (c) and 100 h (d)
Holding time / h
l?/ μm
w? / μm
25
1.462
0.204
50
1.854
0.260
75
2.205
0.326
100
2.536
0.377
Table 2 Average sizes of δ phase ageing for different holding times at 800 ℃ (ε=65%)
Fig.5 Relationship between average sizes of δ phase and the ageing holding times at 800 ℃
Fig.6 Relationship between δ phase content (Wδ) and ageing time of cold deformed GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube at 800 ℃
Fig.7 Relationship between lg[-ln(1-Wδ/Ws)] and lgt (Ws—δ phase content at equilibrium state)
ε / %
α / s-n
n
35
1.144×10-2
0.364
50
1.693×10-2
0.342
65
2.463×10-2
0.322
Table 3 Parameters for precipitation kinetics of δ phase
Fig.8 Effect of cold deformation and ageing time on grain size of GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube
Fig.9 Effect of cold deformation and ageing time on hardness of GH3625 superalloy hot-extruded tube
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