Evolution of Microstructure and Texture During Hot Compression of a Ni-Fe-Cr Superalloy

Superalloys are being employed in more extreme conditions requiring higher strength, which requires producers to forge products to finer grain sizes with less grain size variability. To assess grain size, crystallographic texture, and substructure as a function of forging conditions, frictionless uniaxial compression testing characteristic of hot working was performed on INCOLOY 945 (Special Metals Corporation, Huntington, WV), which is a newly developed hybrid of alloys 718 and 925, over a range of temperatures and strain rates. The microstructure and texture were investigated comprehensively using light optical microscopy, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to provide detailed insight into microstructure evolution mechanisms. Dynamic recrystallization, nucleated by grain/twin boundary bulging with occasional subgrain rotation, was found to be a dominant mechanism for grain refinement in INCOLOY 945. At higher strain rates, static recrystallization occurred by grain boundary migration. During deformation, duplex slip along {111} planes occurred until a stable 〈110〉 fiber compression texture was established. Recrystallization textures were mostly random but shifted toward the compression texture with subsequent deformation. An exception occurred at 1423 K (1150 °C) and 0.001 seconds⁻¹, the condition with the largest fraction of recrystallized grains, where a 〈100〉 fiber texture developed, which may be indicative of preferential growth of specific grain orientations.