Microstructural Stability of a Single Crystal Superalloy DD10 under Stressed and Un-Stressed Thermal Exposure at 980 °C

The effects of applied tensile stress on the microstructural stability of a third generation single crystal superalloy DD10 have been investigated under stressed and un-stressed thermal exposure at 980 °C. The results indicated that μ phase precipitated in the dendrite core after both stressed and un-stressed thermal exposure at 980 °C for 450 h. The μ phase formation, γ′ coarsening and rafting processes were promoted by the applied tensile stress. However, the precipitation of μ phase was not sensitive to the magnitude of applied tensile stress. Meanwhile, the applied tensile stress did not affect the type and morphology of the topologically close packed (TCP) phase. It is suggested that the interaction of the applied tensile stress and the misfit stress decreased the lattice misfit between μ phase and γ matrix and promoted the formation of μ phase.