Study of the Creep Behavior of Nickel-Based Single Crystal Superalloy Micro Specimens with Dimensional Effects

Nickel-based single-crystal superalloys are widely used in aeroengine hot-end components, owing to their unique crystal structure and outstanding high-temperature mechanical properties. In the present study, round rod specimens of different sizes were subjected to high temperature creep tests at 980 °C/300 MPa of a second-generation nickel-based single crystal superalloy. The effect of size on the creep behavior of nickel-based single-crystal superalloys was studied with reference to the creep curves and microstructure morphologies. Creep interruption tests of 3-mm micro-round rod specimens were performed for 30, 60, and 90 h until creep fracture occurred. It was found that for nickel-based single crystal superalloys, the smaller the diameter of the specimen, the longer its creep life. Furthermore, the creep fracture morphology showed obvious creep cavitation in the fracture region. The law of organization evolution was used to analyze the rafting phenomena during the creep process. A typical “N”-type drifting strip structure was found during the creep process. Meanwhile, the width of the γ-phase channel increases continuously with creep, and the rate of change of the width of the matrix phase was fastest at the earliest stage of creep, slowing significantly during the middle and late stages of creep with the completion and appearance the rafting phenomenon.