Microstructural changes during creep of CMSX-4 single crystal Ni base superalloy at 750 degrees C

TEM studies of creep tested CMSX-4 nickel-base single crystal superalloy were performed to analyse a microstructure evolution during creep at temperature 750 degrees C, and uniaxial tensile stress of 675 MPa. Microstructural analyses were focused mainly on examination of dislocation configurations during primary and secondary creep stages of high temperature deformation. At such low temperature and high stress creep deformation proceed by cutting of gamma' particles by dislocations. It was found that primary creep is initiated by movement of dislocations with Burgers vector a/2 <110> in the gamma phase. The second type of dislocations active at primary creep stage are extended dislocation ribbons with overall a<112> Burgers vector, separated by superlattice stacking faults, cutting both the gamma and gamma' phases. The movement of the dislocation ribbons is inhibited at secondary creep stage by dislocation networks formed at gamma-gamma' interfaces.