The High Temperature Strength of Single Crystal Ni‐base Superalloys – Re‐visiting Constant Strain Rate, Creep, and Thermomechanical Fatigue Testing

The present work takes a new look at the high temperature strength of single crystal (SX) Ni‐base superalloys. It compares high temperature constant strain rate (CSR) testing, creep testing, and out‐of‐phase thermomechanical fatigue (OP TMF) testing, which represent key characterization methods supporting alloy development and component design in SX material science and technology. The three types of tests are compared using the same SX alloy, working with precisely oriented <001>‐specimens and considering the same temperature range between 1023 and 1223 K, where climb controlled micro‐creep processes need to be considered. Nevertheless, the three types of tests provide different types of information. CSR testing at imposed strain rates of 3.3 × 10 −4 s −1 shows a yield stress anomaly (YSA) with a YSA stress peak at a temperature of 1073 K. This increase of strength with increasing temperature is not observed during constant load creep testing at much lower deformation rates around 10 −7 s −1 . Creep rates show a usual behavior and increase with increasing temperatures. During OP‐TMF loading, the temperature continuously increases/decreases in the compression/tension part of the mechanical strain‐controlled cycle (±0.5%). At the temperature, where the YSA peak stress temperature is observed, no peculiarities are observed. It is shown that OP‐TMF life is sensitive to surface quality, which is not the case in creep. A smaller number of cycles to failure is observed when reducing the heating rate in the compression/heating part of the mechanical strain‐controlled OP‐TMF cycle. The results are discussed on a microstructural basis, using results from scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and in light of previous work published in the literature.