PNNL

Abstract

High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR STEM) has been used to study the structure of dislocations in single crystal superalloy samples that have been subjected to conditions that favour the primary creep regime. The study has revealed the detailed structure of extended a 2 h112i dislocations as they shear the 0 precipitates during creep. These dislocations dissociate in a manner that is consistent with the PFMD predictions made and also suggests the importance of the reordering process during their movement. The shearing done by the ah112i dislocationswas also found to distort the / 0 interface, changing its appearance from linear to a `saw tooth' pattern. Another important observation was the segregation of alloying element with high atomic mass to the stacking faults to reduce their energies during shear. Numerous a 2 h110i dissociated dislocations were also observed in the channels of the superalloy. The high resolution provided by the STEM imaging enables one to study the high energy faults that are usually di*cult to observe in conventional weak-beam TEM, such as CISF and CESF-1 in the 0 andthe ISF in the , and to make estimates of their energies. Key