Welding Processes of Superalloys

Welding Processes of Superalloy

Superalloys
UNIT-I: Introduction to superalloys
Guide to selection of superalloys, wrought superalloys, Heat Resistant alloys. Physical Metallurgy:-
Microstructure of wrought Heat-Resisting Alloys, Microstructure of Ni-base & Co-base heat-resistant casting
alloys. Temperature and Time-dependent Transformation. Application to Heat Treatment of High Temperature
Alloys.
UNIT-II: Relationship of properties to microstructure in superalloys.
Fracture properties of superalloys. High temperature corrosion and use of castings for protection. Effect of
Physical Metallurgy and process variables on the microstructure of wrought superalloys. Process and
Metallurgical factors affecting on superalloys and other high temperature materials.
UNIT-III: Melting Process
Melting of Superalloys; Principles and practices of Vacuum Induction Melting and Vacuum Arc melting.
UNIT-IV: Forming Methods
Forming and Fabrication of superalloys; Recent developments in P/M of superalloys-Production of
components by Hot-Isostatic Pressing.
UNIT-V: Casting Methods
Improving turbine blade performance by solidification control-the development of single crystal turbine
blades. Quality of superalloys castings; Heat Treating of Heat resistant alloys

TEXT BOOKS:
1. Superalloys: Source book; Mathew J. Donachie. Jr. Editor; 1984.
2. The Superalloys: Edited Chester T. Sims and William C Haagel; 1972
REFERENCE:
1. High Temperature MATERIALS - Campbell IE, John Wiley and Sons Inc.;1956
2. The Superalloys: Fundamentals and Applications - Roger C. Reed
3. Superalloys: A Technical Guide - Elihu F. Bradley - 1988 - 280 pages
4. Super alloys: A Technical Guide, Mathew J. Donachie, Stephen J. Donachie
 Welding Processes of Superalloys
General Aspects.
 Joining of superalloys by non-mechanical means.

 Broad categories as applied to superalloys of all types: fusion welding, solid state welding, and brazing.

 Fusion welding is the principal joining technique. Superalloys, except those with high Al and Ti contents, are welded
with little difficulty.

 Ni-based superalloys, e.g. IN-718, that have a slow aging reaction also are welded without problems.

 Most welding concern is focused on the high strength-hardened Ni-based superalloys, which are the high precipitation-
hardener-(Al-Ti) content alloys.

 The welding procedures of superalloys depend  Strengthening Mechanism in Superalloy for high-temperature
service, i.e., whether primarily solid solution strengthening or primarily precipitation strengthening is employed.

Concepts of Welding.
 Fusion welding relies on melting and solidification of either base alloys of the components to be joined or base alloys
plus a filler that may have:
• The same nominal composition of the base alloys (assuming that joining is of components of the same composition)
• A composition compatible with the chemistry of the components being joined both environmentally (corrosion,
oxidation, etc.) and mechanically (acceptable yield, tensile, and other mechanical properties), but not necessarily the
composition of any of the components being joined.
 Welding Processes of Superalloys
Concepts of Welding.

 Fusion welding: Makes a metallurgical bond/joint between/among the respective components, but introduces a cast
structure of variable size and properties that depends on the metals being welded and the precise welding technique
used.

 Solid-state welding: Makes a metallurgical bond/joint between/among the respective components as fusion welding,
without producing melted area, and hence avoids cast structures because these are not desirable in many instances of
superalloy operation.

 Many solid-state processes and the essential intermediate layers may be used to bring about successful diffusion
bonding.

 The interlayer may be different from any of the basis metals/ alloys.

 Brazing relies on the melting and subsequent solidification of an interlayer (braze metal) without any melting of the
basis metals.
 Welding Processes of Superalloys
Joining Superalloys.
 The design engineer who wishes to use a fusion-welded structure for demanding service faces a challenging dilemma.

 The materials involved and the deposited weld metal must exhibit sufficient ductility to withstand the severe thermal
cycle imposed by fusion welding.

 Many applications demand that specimens taken from a qualification-welded assembly be capable of passing 2t 180
side-bend testing (where t is the material thickness).

 This test requires 20% elongation of the outer fibers of the bend specimen.

 After welding, some applications for which a weldment is designed may demand different properties of the weld joint
from those exhibited by the bare metals.

 Most solid-solution (non-precipitation-hardening) superalloys have sufficient ductility to meet the preceding fusion
welding requirements.

 The weld fabrication of these materials is straightforward, in that they usually do not require special preheat or post-
heat.

 Furthermore, inter-pass temperature control during welding normally is not critical.

 On the other hand, the defining characteristic of many Fe-Ni- and Ni-based superalloys is the existence of a precipitate
phase, which is dispersed in a matrix.

 The precipitation-hardenable superalloys are different from the former alloys, in that they generate a second phase when
exposed to temperatures for specified times in a particular range.

 The second phase is customarily produced by heat treatment and can be dramatically affected by other processing or
 Welding Processes of Superalloys
Joining Superalloys.
 The precipitation-hardened alloys distinguish themselves by exhibiting superior mechanical properties after being
precipitation treated (aged). Fusion leads to dissolution of the hardening phases and their re-precipitation in less
desirable physical form in the matrix.

 The matrix, if previously wrought, is now cast.

 The essence of employing joining processes on precipitation-hardened superalloys, particularly nickel-base superalloys,
is to find a way to keep the high strength associated with hardening (or the long-term strength associated with oxide
dispersion strengthening, or ODS) from being lost because of the welding process.

 The precipitation-hardened materials are usually fusion welded in the annealed (or solution annealed) condition and are
subsequently heat treated to precipitate the second phase as a final or near-final production step.

 Solid-state welding processes that produce limited width joints have been applied to the precipitation-hardened alloys,
in some instances. Processes such as inertia bonding and diffusion bonding have found some use but are not as widely
applied as fusion welding. Solid-state joining of precipitation-hardened superalloys may eliminate the need to age after
joining. In cobalt-base superalloys, a carbide dispersion accounts for much of the hardening.

 During fusion welding, cobalt-base superalloys are much less at risk for the loss of hardening by solution and/or growth
of the carbide phases than are the iron-nickel- and nickelbase precipitation-hardened alloys.

 Changes in cobalt-base superalloy structure can occur, nevertheless, and additional carbide precipitation can cause high
hardening rates, while grain growth can lead to changes in ductility and strength.

 While joining superalloys in air is feasible, the nature of the -hardened superalloys is that some aluminum and titanium
may be lost from the matrix, the volume fraction (Vf) will be reduced, and/or distribution of the phase will be distorted
by the joining process.
 Welding Processes of Superalloys
Joining Superalloys.
 Shielding gases or vacuum are used to protect bonds in most -hardened superalloys.

 The highest-strength joints are produced by true metallurgical bonds created by fusion or solid-state welding.

 However, use of brazing, which does not produce melting of the base metals being joined, is a viable procedure for
joining some superalloys. In general, the concepts of weldability apply to brazing.

 Owing to lack of melting of the base metals, cracking caused by incipient melting is not a problem. If brazing is carried
out under thermal conditions similar to those of welding, then similar property results should be expected.

 A principal concern for brazing is the melting temperature of the braze metal (filler) and its strength.

 The braze filler melting temperature will affect the heat treatment that the base metal receives from the brazing process.

 In some instances, if the braze temperature is compatible with the planned aging temperature, a concurrent aging may
be deliberately produced during brazing. The strength of a brazed component is determined by the strength of its braze
filler metal.