In the present work, we investigate the evolution of mosaicity during seeded Bridgman processing of technical Ni-based single crystal superalloys (SXs). For this purpose, we combine solidification experiments performed at different withdrawal rates between 45 and 720 mm/h with advanced optical microscopy and quantitative image analysis. The results obtained in the present work suggest that crystal mosaicity represents an inherent feature of SXs, which is related to elementary stochastic processes which govern dendritic solidification. In SXs, mosaicity is related to two factors: inherited mosaicity of the seed crystal and dendrite deformation. Individual SXs have unique mosaicity fingerprints. Most crystals differ in this respect, even when they were produced using identical processing conditions. Small differences in the orientation spread of the seed crystals and small stochastic orientation deviations continuously accumulate during dendritic solidification. Direct evidence for dendrite bending in a seeded Bridgman growth process is provided. It was observed that continuous or sudden bending affects the growth directions of dendrites. We provide evidence which shows that some dendrites continuously bend by 1.7° over a solidification distance of 25 mm.

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The development of new Ni-base superalloys with a complex composition consisting of eight or more alloying elements is a challenging task. The experimental state-of-the-art development cycle is based on the adaption of already existing compositions. Although new alloy compositions with potentially improved material properties are expected to be similar to already known superalloys, this procedure impedes efficiently finding these compositions in the large multi-dimensional design-space of all alloying elements. Modern alloy development combines numerical optimization methods with experimental validation to guide the development towards promising compositions. In this work, an improved numerical multi-criteria optimization tool using CALPHAD calculations and semi-empirical models for alloy development is presented. The model improvements to its predecessor are described and the successful application for the development of rhenium-free single-crystal Ni-base superalloys ERBO/13 and ERBO/15 is revisited. The optimization tool is described and the designed alloys are discussed regarding phase stability. Finally, a possible phase stability model extending the optimization tool and improving the alloy composition predictions is presented.

The improvement of the mechanical properties of Ni-based superalloys is achieved in most cases by modifying the chemical composition. Besides that, the processing can be modified to optimize the as-cast microstructure with regard to the mechanical properties. In this context, the present study highlights the solidification mechanism of several Ni-based superalloys by conducting experiments using a modified, laboratory-scale Bridgman-Stockbarger furnace. In that context, the single-crystal rods are partially melted, directionally solidified and quenched sequentially. Several characterization methods are applied to further analyze the influence of the alloying elements and the variation of the withdrawal rate on the as-cast microstructure. Four stages of solidification are distinguished whereby the morphology observed in the different stages mainly depends on the cooling rate and the local concentration of the carbide forming elements. The effect of carbide precipitation and the effect on the as-cast microstructure is investigated by employing energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis techniques. A local polycrystalline structure is observed in the single-crystal system as consequence of the influence of the carbon content and the cooling rate. The present work aims to develop strategies to suppress the formation of the polycrystalline structure to maintain the single-crystal microstructure.

In the selective electron beam melting approach an electron beam is used to partially melt the material powder. Based on the local high energy input, the solidification conditions and likewise the microstructures strongly deviate from conventional investment casting processes. The repeated energy input into the material during processing leads to the partial remelting of the already existing microstructure. To closer investigative this effect of partial remelting, in the present work the phase-field model is applied. In the first part the solidification of the referenced Ni–Al system is simulated in respect to selective electron beam melting. The model is calibrated such to reproduce the solidification kinetics of the superalloy CMSX-4. By comparison to experimental observations reported in the literature, the model is validated and is subsequently applied to study the effect of partial remelting. In the numerical approach the microstructures obtained from the solidification simulations are taken as starting condition. By systematically varying the temperature of the liquid built layer, the effect of remelting on the existing microstructure can be investigated. Based on these results, the experimental processing can be optimized further to produce parts with significantly more homogenous element distributions.