To study quantitatively the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure, composition and mechanical property in a new single crystal nickel-based superalloy for industrial gas turbine (IGT) applications, the eutectic fraction, carbide fraction, and the fraction, size, shape and distribution of the γ ́ phase was characterized by quantitative metallographic method, the evolution of chemical composition and hardness between core and inter dendrite was tested through EMPA and nanoindentation. The experimental results indicate that: The eutectic fraction decreases from (0.52±0.08) % to (0.03±0.01) %. The carbides fraction decreases from (0.23±0.04) % to (0.12±0.03) %, and Feret ratio decreases from 3.21±2.54 to 2.14±0.98. The γ ́ fraction increases from (55.66±4.18) % to (73.78±3.24) % in core dendritic region, from (64.82±1.44) % to (70.11±3.10) % in inter dendritic region. The γ ́-size is 406±111(nm) in core dendritic region and 918±384(nm) in inter dendritic region before heat treatment, 359±69(nm) in core dendritic region and 361±57(nm) in inter dendritic region after heat treatment. The γ ́-cuboidal degree is 1.08±0.20 in core dendritic region and 1.14±0.23 in inter dendritic region before heat treatment, 1.08±0.19 in core dendritic region and 1.02±0.14 in inter dendritic region after heat treatment. The solidification segregation coefficient of main segregation elements, such as Re, W, Hf, Ta, Al, and Mo, is closer to 1, with an average decrease of 27% after heat treatment. The hardness and modulus increase in core and inter dendritic, and their inhomogeneity is reduced between cores and inter dendritic. The improvement of properties result from the improvement of size uniformity and cuboidal degree of γ ́, and the reduction of carbides and eutectic through element homogeneity during heat treatment. The solidification segregation coefficient of main segregation elements, such as Re, W, Hf, Ta, Al, and Mo, is closer to 1, with an average decrease of 27% after heat treatment. With the addition of refractory elements, some elements partition to the dendrite core, while other elements tend to accumulate in the interdendritic liquid and then solidify as the interdendritic and eutectic regions during solidification. The hardness and modulus increase in core and inter dendritic, and their inhomogeneity is reduced between cores and inter dendritic. The improvement of properties result from the improvement of size uniformity and cuboidal degree of γ ́, and the reduction of carbides and eutectic through element homogeneity during heat treatment.

Low cycle fatigue failure tests of the powder metallurgical nickel based superalloy FGH96 at 550°C and 720°C were carried out under total strain-controlled mode (R=-1). The fatigue failure behaviors were investigated by analyzing cyclic stress response and observing microstructure after fatigue through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that FGH96 superalloy exhibits cyclic stability at 550°C, and cyclic softening afterwards at 720°C with Δε/2=0.4% , and of cyclic softening at 720°C with Δε/2=0.7%. After high temperature low cycle fatigue, the γ′ precipitates are cuboidal for all samples. No coarsening of γ′ precipitates was detected at 550°C and at 720°C with Δε/2=0.4%, but small γ′ precipitates get together to be larger precipitates at 720°C with Δε/2=0.7%. EBSD shows that the continuous small angle grain boundaries are produced during the fatigue. The small angle grain boundaries have a significant increase at 720°C, especially that case at Δε/2=0.7%.