A mechanism on multiscale heterogenous deformation of nickel-based single crystal superalloys unraveled by time-of-flight neutron diffraction technology

Time-of-flight (TOF) neutron diffraction technology is a powerful tool for acquiring rich diffraction information on the multiscale microstructures and stresses of nickel-based single crystal superalloys. In this study, the tensile deformation behaviors of DD426 superalloy at 760 °C were investigated by TOF neutron diffraction. Combined with electron backscatter diffraction technology, the multiscale deformation heterogeneity between γ/γ` phases and dendritic/interdendritic regions was simultaneously characterized for the first time. Our experiments revealed a significant misorientation difference and the existence of a long-range stress field in the adjacent area between the dendritic and interdendritic regions after tensile deformation at 760 °C. The misorientation angles of crystal planes along the loading direction between the dendritic and interdendritic regions in the deformed alloy was approximately 1.6 ± 0.6° This misorientation can be attributed to the geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) concentrated in the adjacent area between the two regions with densities of approximately 10 <sup>14</sup> m <sup>-2</sup>. In addition, the lattice strains of both γ` and γ showed a compressive–tensile transition from the dendritic to interdendritic regions, balanced with a long-range stress field. The pile-up GNDs in the adjacent area between the two regions contributed to the existence of long-range stress fields. This study highlights that TOF neutron diffraction technology may reveal well the heterogeneous deformation mechanisms via the formation of both GNDs and pile-up in the adjacent interdendritic/dendritic area of single crystal superalloys.