Microstructure and Properties of K465 Superalloys with Ce/Y Additions
Author of the article: FENGWenjing1, WANG Lijun2, CUI Limin1, SHEN Wenfei2, LI Li2, WANG Yanhui2, ZENGHongtao2, ZHAO Leij
Author's Workplace:1. Hebei Aerospace High Temperature Alloy Industry Technology Research Institute, Hebei Key Laboratory of High-Temperature Alloy Recycling Technology, Hebei Engineering Research Center for High Temperature Alloy Recycling, Zhonghangshangda Superalloys Co., Ltd., Xingtai 054800, China; 2. Collaborative Innovation Center for Modern Equipment Manufacturing of Jinan New Area (Hebei), Hebei Key Laboratory of Intelligent Industrial Equipment Technology, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan 056038, China
Key Words:superalloy; rare earth elements; microstructure; mechanical properties
Abstract:
With increasingly stringent demands for superalloys in the aerospace field, conventional composition
optimization approaches have reached their performance ceiling. It has become increasingly difficult to significantly
improve the performance of superalloys by adjusting the ratios of primary elements. Rare earth elements serve as important
microalloying additives, and the addition of trace amounts can profoundly influence the microstructure and properties of
superalloys. Industrial-scale 1 t vacuum induction melting was employed to prepare K465 master alloy ingots. The rare
earth elements cerium (Ce) and yttrium (Y) were added during the smelting process to enhance the performance of this cast
superalloy. Microstructural characterization was performed via optical microscopy (OM) on both the as-cast and
solution-treated samples, whereas scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with energy-dispersive spectroscopy
(EDS) was employed to analyse the microstructure systematically. The room-temperature tensile properties and high-temperature stress rupture performance after solution treatment were examined via a universal testing machine and a
creep testing machine. These findings indicate that the addition of rare earth elements (Ce and Y) did not alter the phase
constitution of the alloy, which is mainly composed of γ matrix phase, γ′ phase, (γ+γ′) eutectic phase, and carbides. The
master alloy exhibits a room-temperature tensile strength of 887 MPa with 4.0% elongation and demonstrates
high-temperature stress rupture lifetimes of 88 h and 30 min at 975 ℃/225 MPa.