Nanostructured superalloy structural components and methods of making

Abstract

A superalloy-containing structural component includes a superalloy matrix, and a plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at grain boundaries within the superalloy matrix, wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries comprise about 1 volume percent to about 30 volume percent of the structural component, and wherein the superalloy matrix and the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries within the base superalloy matrix have been thermo-mechanically processed to form the structural component. A method for making a structural component includes introducing dislocations into a superalloy particle matrix effective to form new grain boundaries within a plurality of superalloy particles, introducing hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles at a plurality of grain boundaries of the superalloy particles effective to pin the grain boundaries, and thermo-mechanically processing the superalloy particles and hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles to form the superalloy-containing structural component.

1 . A structural component formed from a superalloy, the structural component comprising: 
 a superalloy matrix; and    a plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at grain boundaries within the superalloy matrix; wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries comprise about 1 volume percent to about 30 volume percent of the structural component, and wherein the superalloy matrix and the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries within the base superalloy matrix have been thermo-mechanically processed to form the structural component.    
     
     
         2 . The structural component of  claim 1 , further comprising a gamma prime phase.  
     
     
         3 . The structural component of  claim 1 , further comprising a gamma double prime phase.  
     
     
         4 . The structural component of  claim 1 , wherein grains within the superalloy matrix have an average longest dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.  
     
     
         5 . The structural component of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles comprises an inorganic oxide, inorganic carbide, inorganic nitride, inorganic carbonitride, inorganic boride, inorganic oxycarbide, inorganic oxynitride, inorganic silicide, inorganic aluminide, inorganic sulfide, inorganic oxysulfide, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.  
     
     
         6 . The structural component of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles have an average longest dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.  
     
     
         7 . The structural component of  claim 1 , wherein the structural component comprises at least a portion of a hot gas path assembly.  
     
     
         8 . The structural component of  claim 7 , wherein the hot gas path assembly is a steam turbine, gas turbine, or aircraft engine.  
     
     
         9 . The structural component of  claim 8 , wherein the structural component is a airfoil, disc, wheel, duct, frame, casing, bucket, vane, or combustor.  
     
     
         10 . The structural component of  claim 1 , wherein the superalloy matrix comprises a Ni-base superalloy, Fe-base superalloy, Co-base superalloy, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing superalloys.  
     
     
         11 . A structural component formed from a superalloy, the structural component comprising: 
 a superalloy matrix;    a gamma prime phase, wherein the gamma prime phase comprises about 10 weight percent to about 60 weight percent of the nanostructured superalloy matrix; and    a plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at grain boundaries within the superalloy matrix, wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries comprise about 1 volume percent to about 30 volume percent of the structural component, and wherein the superalloy matrix, gamma prime phase, and the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles dispersed at the grain boundaries within the superalloy matrix have been thermo-mechanically processed to form the structural component.    
     
     
         12 . The structural component of  claim 11 , wherein grains within the superalloy matrix have an average longest dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.  
     
     
         13 . The structural component of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles comprises an inorganic oxide, inorganic carbide, inorganic nitride, inorganic carbonitride, inorganic boride, inorganic oxycarbide, inorganic oxynitride, inorganic silicide, inorganic aluminide, inorganic sulfide, inorganic oxysulfide, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.  
     
     
         14 . The structural component of  claim 11 , wherein the plurality of hard phase nanoparticles have an average longest dimension of about 10 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.  
     
     
         15 . The structural component of  claim 11 , wherein the structural component comprises at least a portion of a steam turbine, gas turbine, or aircraft engine.  
     
     
         16 . The structural component of  claim 11 , further comprising a gamma double-prime phase.  
     
     
         17 . A method for making a structural component comprising a superalloy, the method comprising: 
 introducing dislocations into a superalloy particle matrix effective to form new grain boundaries within a plurality of superalloy particles;    introducing hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles at a plurality of grain boundaries of the superalloy particles effective to pin the grain boundaries; and    thermo-mechanically processing the superalloy particles and hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles to form the superalloy-containing structural component.    
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein introducing the dislocations comprises cryomilling, high pressure torsion, equal channel angular pressing, cyclic channel die compression, accumulative roll bonding, repetitive corrugation and straightening, twist extrusion, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein introducing the hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles comprises extrinsically combining the hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles with the superalloy particle matrix during and/or after introducing the dislocations into the superalloy particle matrix.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein introducing the hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles comprises creating the hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles while introducing the dislocations into the superalloy particle matrix.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein thermo-mechanically processing the Ni-superalloy particles and hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles to form the nanostructured Ni-superalloy-containing structural component comprises forging, hot extrusion, hot rolling, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising consolidating the superalloy particle matrix and hard phase dispersoid nanoparticles into a compact prior to the thermo-mechanically processing.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising introducing a gamma prime phase into the superalloy particle matrix.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising introducing a gamma double-prime phase into the superalloy particle matrix.