Review Microstructure of Nickel-Based Single-Crystal CMSX-4 Superalloy after Electrochemical Machining

Abstract

A special position has been created for using the nickel-based single-crystal CMSX-4 superalloy at high temperatures due to the improved mechanical properties of this material and the absence of grain boundary in the crystal lattice. Also, electrochemical machining can be an effective method for machining this superalloy due to its unique performance in metal machining, like creating stress-free surfaces, high-level surface smoothness, and machining of complex geometries. This single crystal superalloy's microstructure consists of three phases: Gamma, Gamma prime, and a bit of carbide. Gamma prime is distributed cubically and homogeneously in the Gamma field without any boundaries and as a single crystal. It is essential not to change the microstructure after the production process or machining. In the present research, electrochemical machining was performed on CMSX-4 single crystal superalloy. The workpiece's microstructure was then investigated before and after electrochemical machining using scanning electron microscopy and EDS analysis from two sides. No changes were seen in CMSX-4 infrastructure after electrochemical machining EDS analysis and Images.