CREEP CRACK PROPAGATION IN CONVENTIONAL CAST AND DIRECTIONALLY SOLIDIFIED SUPERALLOY RENE 80

The creep crack propagation in superalloy René80 of two different microstructures,i.e., equiaxed grain structure by conventional casting and columnar grain by directional solidification,was investigated under static load at 1123 K.The creep crack growth rate, da/dt,seems to be correlated with the stress intensity factor,K.The creep crack growth rate in the directionally solidified alloy is lower than that in the conventional cast alloy,owing to the elimination of transverse grain boundaries.The effect of microstructure on creep crack propagation has also been discussed.