scholarly journals Numerical Analysis of Solidification Behavior during Laser Welding Nickel-based Single-crystal Superalloy Part IV: Optimization of Thermo-metallurgical Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 1996 (1) ◽  
pp. 012004
Author(s):  
Zhiguo Gao

Abstract Important metallurgical factors, such as alloying aluminum redistribution, supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip around solid/liquid interface, are separately optimized to alleviate stray grain formation and columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) with series of welding conditions and provide a very efficient method for microstructure control through modification of growth kinetics of dendrite tip under nonequilibrium solidification conditions of ternary Ni-Cr-Al molten pool. Asymmetrical (001)/[110] welding configuration is inferior to symmetrical (001)/[100] welding configuration, because overall area-weighted alloying redistribution, supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip throughout the solid/liquid interface of weld pool are consistently severer to exacerbate solidification behavior and microstructure development and incur morphology instability of columnar/equiaxed transition. High heat input, such as combination of higher laser power and slower welding speed, monotonically increases aluminum enrichment, supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip near solidification interface to simultaneously deteriorate nucleation and growth of stray grain formation and weaken columnar dendrite morphology, while low heat input, such as combination of lower laser power and faster welding speed, decreases solute buildup, relieves supersaturation and beneficially suppresses dendrite tip undercooling to minimize equiaxed dendrite morphology in the crack-susceptible region, and thereby facilitate single-crystal epitaxial growth with decrease of thermo-metallurgical factors for columnar/equiaxed transition in order to provide prerequisite for optimization of welding conditions. Favorable solidification conditions are obtainable with preferential crystallographic orientation to eliminate columnar/equiaxed transition under which the epitaxy of single-crystal metallurgical properties across fusion boundary of substrate is predominantly promoted to essentially reduce stray grain formation in (001)/[100] welding configuration, and is kinetically capable of significant reduction of microstructure anomalies and nonuniform solidification behavior. The useful relationship among welding conditions, alloying aluminum redistribution, supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip is properly established within dendrite stability range through thorough analysis. In addition, the validation of theoretical predictions is fairly reasonable by the experiment results. It is worth that the contributions of kinetics-related solidification phenomena with advancement of solid/liquid interface are imposed altogether to understand why stray grain formation occurs on the basis of controlling mechanism of minimum undercooling or minimum velocity by the reproducible methodology procedure.

2021 ◽  
Vol 1020 ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Zhi Guo Gao

The mathematical modeling of microstructure development is further extended through coupling of heat transfer model and columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) model during nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification with different welding conditions (laser power, welding speed and welding configuration). It is indicated that crystallographic orientation plays an important role in stray grain formation ahead of the solid/liquid interface on the basis of constitutional undercooling mechanism. (001) and [100] welding configuration promotes symmetrical distribution of microstructure morphology about the weld pool centerline that is favored for reduction of stray grain formation, while detrimental (001) and [110] welding configuration induces asymmetrical distribution of microstructure morphology with more stray grain formation and deteriorates the weldability. The mechanism of increasing stray grain formation due to misorientation of dendrite growth crystallography is proposed. Appropriate low heat inputs (low laser power or high welding speed) of solidification conditions prevents stray grain formation and vice versa, and suppress the size of vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region. Weld pool geometry, θ-φ of solid/liquid interface, morphology transition and stray grain formation on either side of weld are closely correlated. In order to eliminate stray grain formation through microstructure control, it is imperative to optimize the welding configurations for defect-free weld through useful welding configuration-microstructure map. The theoretical predictions are verified by the experiment results in a consistent way. In addition, the model is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties by feasible laser welding or laser cladding.


2005 ◽  
Vol 486-487 ◽  
pp. 460-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang Yong Jo ◽  
D.H. Kim ◽  
Yeong Seok Yoo ◽  
D.H. Ye ◽  
Jung Hun Lee

Carbon and boron were mainly considered to strengthen grain boundaries formed during single crystal casting of complex shaped components. However, those elements cause segregation forming the phase with low melting temperature or with brittle nature. To determine the optimum amount of these elements, the effect of boron on solidification behavior was investigated in the C doped single crystal RR 2072 alloy. The solid/liquid interface morphologies and the solidification microstructures were studied at various solidification rates and with B addition by directional solidification.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1018 ◽  
pp. 3-12
Author(s):  
Zhi Guo Gao

The thermal-metallurgical modeling of microstructure development was further advanced during single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification by coupling of heat transfer model, columnar/equiaxed transition (CET) model and multicomponent dendrite growth model on the basis criteria of minimum dendrite velocity, constitutional undercooling and marginal stability of planar front. It is clearly indicated that heat input (laser power and welding speed) and welding configuration simultaneously influence the stray grain formation, columnar/equiaxed transition and dendrite growth. For beneficial (001) and [100] welding configuration, the microstructure development along the solid/liquid interface is symmetrically distributed about the weld pool centerline throughout the weld pool. Finer columnar in [001] epitaxial dendrite growth region is kinetically favored at the bottom of the weld pool. For detrimental (001) and [110] welding configuration, the microstructure development along the solid/liquid interface is asymmetrically distributed. The dendrite trunk spacing along the solid/liquid interface from the beginning to end of solidification morphologically increases on the left side of the weld pool, while it spontaneously decreases on the right side. The vulnerable location of solidification cracking is confined in the [100] dendrite growth region on the right side of the weld pool because of increasing metallurgical contributing factors of severe stray grain formation, centerline grain boundary formation and coarse dendrite size. The mechanism of crystallography-dependent asymmetrical solidification cracking due to microstructure anomalies is proposed. It is crystallographically favorable for predominant morphology instability to deteriorate weldability. Active [100] dendrite growth region is diminished in the shallow elliptical weld pool by optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) with (001) and [100] welding configuration to essentially facilitate single-crystal solidification conditions and provide enough resistant to solidification cracking. Moreover, the theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The reliable weldability maps are therefore established to determine the prerequisite for successful crack-free laser welding or cladding. The useful model is also applicable for other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1018 ◽  
pp. 13-22
Author(s):  
Zhi Guo Gao

The thermal metallurgical modeling of liquid aluminum supersaturation was further developed through couple of heat transfer model, dendrite selection model, multicomponent dendrite growth model and nonequilibrium solidification model during three-dimensional nickel-based single-crystal superalloy weld pool solidification. The welding configuration plays more important role in supersaturation of liquid aluminum, morphology instability and nonequilibrium partition behavior. The bimodal distribution of liquid aluminum supersaturation along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically symmetrical about the weld pool centerline in (001) and [100] welding configuration. The distribution of liquid aluminum supersaturation along the solid/liquid interface is crystallographically asymmetrical throughout the weld pool in (001) and [110] welding configuration. Optimum low heat input (low laser power and high welding speed) with (001) and [100] welding configuration is more favored to predominantly promote epitaxial [001] dendrite growth to reduce the metallurgical factors for solidification cracking than that of high heat input (high laser power and slow welding speed) with (001) and [110] welding configuration. The lower the heat input is used, the lower supersaturation of liquid aluminum is imposed, and the smaller size of vulnerable [100] dendrite growth region is incurred to ameliorate solidification cracking susceptibility and vice versa. The overall supersaturation of liquid aluminum in (001) and [100] welding configuration is beneficially smaller than that of (001) and [110] welding configuration regardless of heat input, and is not thermodynamically relieved by gamma prime γˊ phase. (001) and [110] welding configuration is detrimental to weldability and deteriorates the solidification cracking susceptibility because of unfavorable crystallographic orientations and alloying aluminum enrichment. The mechanism of asymmetrical solidification cracking because of crystallography-dependent supersaturation of liquid aluminum is proposed. The eligible solidification cracking location is particularly confined in [100] dendrite growth region. Moreover, the theoretical predictions agree well with the experiment results. The useful modeling is also applicable to other single-crystal superalloys with similar metallurgical properties for laser welding or laser cladding. The thorough numerical analyses facilitate the understanding of weld pool solidification behavior, microstructure development and solidification cracking phenomena in the primary γ phase, and thereby optimize the welding conditions (laser power, welding speed and welding configuration) for successful crack-free laser welding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1041 ◽  
pp. 47-56
Author(s):  
Zhi Guo Gao

The contribution of crystallography-dependent metallurgical factors, such as supersaturation of liquid aluminum and minimum dendrite tip undercooling, to solidification behavior and microstructure development is numerically analyzed during Ni-Cr-Al ternary single-crystal superalloy molten pool solidification to better understand thermodynamic and kinetic driving forces behind solidification cracking resistance. The variation of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and minimum dendrite tip undercooling with location of solid/liquid interface is symmetrically consistent in (001)/[100] welding configuration. By comparison, the variation is asymmetrically consistent in (001)/[110] welding configuration. The different distribution is attributed to growth crystallography and dendrite selection. Significant increase of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling from [010] dendrite growth region to [100] dendrite growth region preferentially aggravates microstructure development as result of nucleation and growth of stray grain formation with the same heat input on each half of the weld pool in (001)/[110] welding configuration. High heat input (both increasing laser power and decreasing welding speed) exacerbates supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling by faster diffusion to incur stray grain formation with severity of contributing thermometallurgical factors for susceptibility to solidification cracking, while low heat input (both decreasing laser power and increasing welding speed) ameliorates microstructure development and increases resistance to solidification cracking. Weld microstructure of optimum welding conditions, such as combination of low heat input and (001)/[100] welding configuration, is less susceptible to solidification cracking to suppress asymmetrical microstructure development and improve weld integrity potential rather than insidious welding conditions, such as combination of high heat input and (001)/[110] welding configuration. Severer supersaturation of liquid aluminum and wider dendrite tip undercooling occur in the [100] dendrite region as consequence of alloying enrichment, while smaller supersaturation of liquid aluminum and narrower dendrite tip undercooling occur in the [001] dendrite region as consequence of alloying depletion to spontaneously facilitate epitaxial growth of single-crystal essential. Symmetrical (001)/[100] welding configuration decreases growth kinetics of dendrite tip with smaller overall supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling than that of asymmetrical (001)/[110] welding configuration regardless of combination of laser power and welding speed. Mitigation of supersaturation of liquid aluminum and dendrite tip undercooling simultaneously alleviate crack-susceptible microstructure development and solidification cracking. Additionally, the appropriate mechanism of solidification cracking resistance improvement through modification of crystallography-dependent supersaturation and undercooling of dendrite tip is proposed. Calculation analyses are sufficiently explained by experiment results in a reasonable way. The additional purpose of this theoretical analysis is to evaluate solidification cracking susceptibility of similar nickel-based or iron-based single-crystal superalloys.


2010 ◽  
Vol 638-642 ◽  
pp. 2251-2256 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.P. Jin ◽  
Jia Rong Li ◽  
Shi Zhong Liu

The effects of thermal physical parameters and boundary conditions on investment solidification parameters were obtained using a computer simulation system. Directional solidification parameters of single crystal superalloy include the temperature distribution, the position and the shape of the solid/liquid interface in the mushy zone of the solidifying blade casting. Commercial finite-element analysis software, ProCAST, was used to simulate the solidification processes of the castings of single crystal DD6. The simulation results indicate that the predictions of the temperature show little sensitivity to the thermal physical parameters and boundary conditions. Further, it has also been shown that the location and the shape of solid/liquid interface is related to the boundary conditions of simulation. Increasing the value of interface heat transfer coefficient decreases the width of mushy zone.


2010 ◽  
Vol 129-131 ◽  
pp. 1308-1312
Author(s):  
Ya Hong Zheng ◽  
Yan Lin Wang ◽  
Zi Dong Wang

In the crystal growth process, the temperature distribution and concentration distribution at the solid-liquid interface edge are always the hot problems. In this paper, we study the concentration distribution at the solid-liquid interface edge under the natural convection conditions, we find that the concentration field is oscillating exponential decline or rose along the crystal growth direction. We also study the dendrite morphology of Al-La alloys using the experimental method, the results show that the microstructure of Al-35%La alloys is different from the common microstructure of hypereutectic alloy during the conventional casting process, the first crystalline phase is Al11La3, which composition is discontinuous along the growth direction, the main dendrite is composed of α-Al alternating with Al11La3, the results of SEM and XRD show that the chemical composition along the main dendrite exhibits periodic behavior, therefore, this microstructure is named as periodic diphase dendrite structure.


2002 ◽  
Vol 245 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 228-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshito Nishijima ◽  
Koji Otsubo ◽  
Hiroshige Tezuka ◽  
Kazuo Nakajima ◽  
Hiroshi Ishikawa

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document