A Methodology for Determination of γ′ Site Occupancies in Nickel Superalloys Using Atom Probe Tomography and X-ray Diffraction

A methodology for determining the preferred site occupancy of various alloying elements within ordered gamma' precipitates was developed and applied to Rene88 samples. The method utilized atom probe tomography and X-ray diffraction techniques with controlled monochromated synchrotron beams to determine element positions. Samples were solutionized at 1423 K (1150 degrees C) for 30 minutes and cooled at 24 K/min with subsequent aging at 1033 K (760 degrees C). The synchrotron X-ray diffraction results indicate that niobium prefers to reside on the aluminum sublattice site of the gamma' phase. Additionally, the results indicate that chromium prefers the nickel sublattice sites, while cobalt is likely to occupy both the aluminum and nickel sublattice sites. The X-ray results on the chromium occupancy disagree with atom probe results from the same alloy that indicate that chromium prefers the aluminum sublattice sites. DOI: 10.1007/s11661-012-1456-2 (C) The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International 2012