Grain Size Depending Dwell-Fatigue Crack Growth in Inconel 718

Inconel 718 is a commonly used superalloy for turbine discs in the gas turbine industry. Turbine discs are normally subjected to dwell-fatigue as a result of long constant load cycles. Dwell-times have been shown to give rise to increased crack propagation rates in superalloys at elevated temperatures. Dwell-time crack propagation behavior in Inconel 718 has been tested at 550 degrees C using Kb test samples with 2160s dwell-times at maximum load and pure fatigue tests. The dwell-time effect has been studied for differently processed Inconel 718, that is, fine grained bar, grain enlarged bar, and cast material. This has been done in order to investigate the effect of grain size on crack propagation. Microstructure characterization is conducted using scanning electron microscopy techniques such as electron channeling contrast imaging and electron backscatter diffraction. Time dependent crack propagation rates are strongly affected by grain size. Propagation rates increase with decreasing grain size, whereas crack tip blunting increased with increasing grain size.