Study of the heat capacity of VZhM4 nickel superalloy using differential scanning calorimetry, adiabatic and mixing calorimetry

An increase in the operating temperatures of assemblies and parts of modern aircraft is a key task for the aviation industry which entails developing of new materials that meet the increased requirements for their operational characteristics. A high level of the accuracy and reliability of the determined properties is one of the most important factors in designing high-temperature metal, ceramic and heat-shielding materials. The features of a particular measurement procedure, as well as their hardware design, do not always ensure the specified accuracy of experiments over the entire temperature range. We present the results of studying the heat capacity of VZhM4 nickel superalloy in the temperature range 100 – 1360° C by the methods of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), adiabatic and mixing calorimetry. The data of the DSC analysis of the alloy, the temperatures of phase transformations and temperature dependences of the specific heat of the material are analyzed along with the assessment of their accuracy at different temperature intervals. A comparative analysis of the studied measurement procedures complements the research. The results obtained can be used in the development of new materials and in the study of the specific heat capacity of metal products in a wide temperature range.