Study into the Role of Nickel Vapor on Surface Modification of a Third-Generation Single-Crystal Superalloy

A third-generation single-crystal (SX) superalloy was heat treated at 1350 °C for 24 hours while being exposed to nickel vapor. It is observed that a layer of 60-µm thickness deposited onto the alloy. This prevented the formation of TCP phases and the occurrence of melting, which were reported in previous studies. The interdiffusion between the alloy and deposited layer shows strong indications of cross-diffusion effects, as shown from the composition profile measurements and simulations.