Atom probe field-ion microscopy investigation of nickel base superalloy welds

Microstructure development and elemental partitioning between {gamma} and {gamma}{prime} were measured in PWA-1480 electron beam welds and CMSX-4 pulsed-laser welds. In PWA-1480 EB welds, eutectic {gamma}{prime} phases were observed along the dendritic boundaries. The elemental partitioning between {gamma} and {gamma}{prime} was found to be similar to that in PWA-1480 base metal. In CMSX-4 pulsed laser welds, negligible eutectic {gamma}{prime} was observed. In addition, fine and irregularly shaped {gamma}{prime} precipitates were observed. The elemental partitioning between {gamma} and {gamma}{prime} was found to be different from that measured in the base metal. Large concentration gradients were observed in the {gamma} phase. The {gamma}{prime} precipitation kinetics in CM247DS alloy was measured using dilatometry and showed differences with different cooling rates. The microstructural investigations showed that at large undercoolings the number density of {gamma}{prime} precipitates increased and led to a finer size. This supports the microstructure development observations in PWA-1480 and CMSX-4 welds. Thermodynamic and kinetic calculations for the Ni-Al-Cr alloy system showed that as the cooling rate increases, the {gamma}{prime} growth leads to large concentration gradients in the {gamma} phase. The calculations agree with the atom probe results from PWA-1480 and CMSX-4 welds