A Study of the Internal Deformation Fields and the Related Microstructure Evolution during Thermal Fatigue Tests of a Single-Crystal Ni-Base Superalloy

Ni-base superalloys operate in harsh service conditions where cyclic heating and cooling introduce deformation fields that need to be investigated in detail. We used the high-angular-resolution electron backscatter diffraction method to study the evolution of internal stress fields and dislocation density distributions in carbides, dendrites, and notch tips. The results indicate that the stress concentrations decay exponentially away from the notch, and this pattern of distribution was modified by the growth of cracks and the emission of dislocations from the crack tip. Crack initiation follows crystallographic traces and is weakly correlated with carbides and dendrites. Thermal cycles introduce local plasticity around carbides, the dendrite boundary, and cracks. The dislocations lead to higher local stored energy than the critical value that is often cited to induce recrystallization. No large-scale onset of recrystallization was detected, possibly due to the mild temperature (800 °C); however, numerous recrystallized grains were detected in carbides after 50 and 80 cycles. The results call for a detailed investigation of the microstructure-related, thermally assisted recrystallization phenomenon and may assist in the microstructure control and cooling channel design of turbine blades.