High Temperature Creep Deformation Mechanisms of a Hot Corrosion-Resistant Nickel-based Superalloy

Creep properties of the experimental superalloy were investigated in the temperature range 1073–1223 K and stress range 110–550 MPa. The observations of dislocation structures during different creep conditions reveal that in the high stress region, particle-shearing mechanisms including stacking fault formation and antiphase boundary creation are operative and in the low stress region, the dislocation climb mechanism is dominant. From the plot of minimum creep rate versus applied stress, a very low stress region with exponent n < 2, which is related to diffusional creep, is found. Based on the experimental results, a stress–temperature creep deformation mechanism map for the alloy is constructed. On the basis of particle hardening theories and various dislocation-creep theories, the dislocation-creep transitions in terms of internal stress are discussed and calculated threshold stresses of various creep deformation mechanisms indicates that the particle shearing is easier to operate than Orowan looping at high stresses, and general climb is easy to happen at low stresses.