Solidification morphology and semi-solid deformation in superalloy Rene 108

A high temperature nickel-base superalloy (Rene 108) was directionally solidified by imposing various growth rates and thermal gradients using a modified Bridgeman apparatus. The scaling of the solidification structure was recorded as a function of the imposed growth variables. A special Gleeble testing procedure, developed previously where the solidified samples were quickly raised to a predetermined temperature in the semi-solid zone and fractured, was used for the measurement of fracture conditions in the semi-solid region. The effect of the solidification process variables, namely, the temperature gradient and velocity, on the fracture stress in the transverse direction was to increase the fracture stress at a given temperature. The upper hot-tearing temperature was noted to be a function of the solidification variables. The amount of strain accommodation and the hot tearing resistance was found to be influenced by the solidification microstructure. Fracture maps, which include the temperature, transverse fracture stress and temperature gradient during solidification (T-σT-G), for the directionally solidified microstructures are presented. Castability maps are created from the microstructure and the fracture data and display the porosity and semi-solid strength as a function of the casting variables.