The deformation mechanisms operating in superalloys depend on different parameters such as composition, temperature and deformation rate. So far, the transition from shearing by APB-coupled dislocations to shearing under the formation of stacking faults has been studied exclusively as a function of temperature but not as a function of the strain rate. Therefore, interrupted compression tests with strain rates between 10–3 s−1 and 10–5 s−1 were performed on the single-crystalline CoNi-base superalloy ERBOCo-4 at a temperature of 850 °C. The evolution of the defect structures has been analyzed by conventional transmission electron microscopy. A change of the deformation mechanism from APB-coupled dislocation shearing to stacking fault shearing is found to depend on the strain rate. At lower strain rates, an increased stacking fault density is associated with a higher yield strength and higher work hardening rates at the early stages of plastic deformation due to a very high stacking fault density. After approximately 2.0 pct plastic strain, the stress reaches a plateau and decreases subsequently, which is associated with the formation and thickening of twins as shown by high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. At higher strain rates, the work hardening rate is significantly lower in the early deformation stage. The role of segregation to planar defects and the influence of local phase transformations (LPT) at SESFs is further discussed in reference to the influence of the strain rate. The segregation of W as an η stabilizing element is found to be crucial for the formation of a local phase transformation in ERBOCo-4. At higher strain rates the phase transformation is hindered by insufficient W segregation, resulting in a higher twin density.

Materials processed by additive manufacturing often exhibit a very fine-scaled microstructures due to high cooling rates in the process. In this study, single-layer surface electron beam melting is used to create very high cooling rates similar to additive manufacturing processes to investigate the resulting microstructure. In the case of Nb-Si-Cr in-situ composites, a nano-scaled eutectic microstructure is beneficial for improving the mechanical and oxidational properties. Fast solidification results in the formation of supersaturated phases of Nbss and Cr2Nb with phase diameters down to 10 nm as well as in the stabilization of the metastable Nb9(Cr,Si)5 phase at room temperature. After processing with different solidification rates, the decomposition of the Nb9(Cr,Si)5 phase has been studied in detail with atom probe microscopy. The stabilization of mixed silicide phases by electron beam melting shows a new pathway for improving hardness and enhancing oxidation resistance of nanostructured eutectic in-situ composites, by which the inherent weaknesses of Nb-Si-Cr can be overcome without further alloying elements. Graphical Abstract

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