Weldability of nickel-base superalloys for energy applications

Research Project, 2014 – 2018

Increased operating temperatures as well as intermittent cycling of land-based gas and steam turbines motivate studies on high performance alloys such as Ni-based superalloys. However, these high performance alloys are known to be “hard-to-weld”. Therefore, the scope of the currently suggested continuation project is to disclose how to investigate and clarify the fundamental cause of formation of weld cracking, or more specifically strain age cracking. As basis for this overall aim, the goal is also to establish a test procedure for the assessment of the susceptibility towards strain age cracking of precipitation hardening Ni-based alloys.