Han-sang Lee

Quantitative analysis of carbides and the sigma phase in thermally exposed GTD-111

The effects of thermal exposure on γ′, carbides and TCP-type phases, such as the sigma and eta phases, in the nickel-based superalloy GTD-111 were investigated in this study. The thermal exposure was performed at 871 °C and 982 °C for 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 h, after which the thermally exposed specimens were compared in terms of their microstructure, weight fraction and growth rate of each precipitate. Electrolytic extraction and Rietveld refinement were successfully applied for a quantitative analysis of the carbides and the sigma phase in the thermally exposed GTD-111. The weight fractions of MC, Cr-rich M23C6 and the sigma phase for various thermal exposure times and temperatures were obtained to understand the formation and decomposition rate of each phase.

Low-Cycle Fatigue in Ni-Base Superalloy IN738LC at Elevated Temperature

For many years, high-strength nickel-base superalloys have been used to manufacture turbine blades because of their excellent performance at high temperatures. The prediction of fatigue life of superalloys is important for improving the efficiency of the turbine blades. In this study, low cycle fatigue tests are performed for different values of total strain and temperature. The relations between strain energy density and number of cycles before failure occurs are examined in order to predict the low cycle fatigue life of IN738LC super alloy. The results of low cycle fatigue lives predicted by strain energy methods are found to coincide with experimental data and with the results obtained by the Coffin-Manson method.

Changes in Material Properties of Used Gas Turbine Blade Made of Single- Crystal Superalloy

The material properties of gas turbine components change during the daily start/stop thermal cycle because of exposure to the hot combustion gas. Recently, single-crystal Ni-based superalloys have been used to manufacture many hot-gas components for gas turbines. However, the user needs to depend on the manufacturer for maintenance issues because of the lack of data required for predicting blade life and material degradation. In this study, we investigate the time-dependent degradation of first-stage blades at various operating facilities to collect the basic data for life assessment and damage analysis. The blade material is a single-crystal Ni-based superalloy, CMSX-4, and the EOH (equivalent operating hours) are 25,000 and 52,000, respectively. We prepared the test specimen directly from used blades and carried out mechanical tests and microstructural observations.