Effects of High Density Electropulsing Treatment on Aging Kinetics of GH4199 Alloy

GH4199 alloy was treated by high density electropulsing for different time, and the microstructure evolution and tensile properties were examined. The results show that the diffusion of solute atoms in GH4199 alloy can be strongly accelerated by electropulsing. The growth activation energy of γ′ phase of 89.86 kJ/mol in the alloy electropulsing-treated, decreases by 64.31% compared with that normally aged, which accelerates the precipitation and the growth of both the γ′ phase and carbides on the grain boundary of the alloy. The strength of GH4199 alloy increases with increasing of electropulsing treatment time, and the plasticity has no obvious change. The growth of γ′ phase and the precipitation of carbides on the grain boundary is the main reason for obstructing the dislocation motion and improving the plastic deformation resistance of the alloy. The piled-up dislocations can go through the grain boundary across the gap of carbides which is distributed on the grain boundary in chainlike form, and no degradation of the plasticity of GH4199 alloy appears.