The evolution of grain-boundary cracking evaluated through in situ tensile-creep testing of Udimet alloy 188

In situ scanning electron microscopy was performed during elevated-temperature (<= 760 degrees C) tensile-creep deformation of a face-centered-cubic cobalt-based Udimet 188 alloy to characterize the deformation evolution and, in particular, the grain boundary-cracking evolution. In situ electron backscatter diffraction observations combined with in situ secondary electron imaging indicated that general high-angle grain boundaries were more susceptible to cracking than low-angle grain boundaries and coincident site-lattice boundaries. The extent of general high-angle grain-boundary cracking increased with increasing creep time. Grain-boundary cracking was also observed throughout subsurface locations as observed for postdeformed samples. The electron backscattered diffraction orientation mapping performed during in situ tensile-creep deformation proved to be a powerful means for characterizing the surface deformation evolution and in particular for quantifying the types of grain boundaries that preferentially cracked.