Multiaxial creep and cyclic plasticity in nickel-base superalloy C263

Physically-based constitutive equations for uniaxial creep deformation in nickel alloy C263 [Acta Mater. 50 (2002) 2917] have been generalised for multiaxial stress states using conventional von Mises type assumptions. A range of biaxial creep tests have been carried out on nickel alloy C263 in order to investigate the stress state sensitivity of creep damage evolution. The sensitivity has been quantified in C263 and embodied within the creep constitutive equations for this material. The equations have been implemented into finite element code. The resulting computed creep behaviour for a range of stress state compares well with experimental results. Creep tests have been carried out on double notched bar specimens over a range of nominal stress. The effect of the notches is to introduce multiaxial stress states local to the notches which influences creep damage evolution. Finite element models of the double notch bar specimens have been developed and used to test the ability of the model to predict correctly, or otherwise, the creep rupture lifetimes of components in which multiaxial stress states exist. Reasonable comparisons with experimental results are achieved. The γ′ solvus temperature of C263 is about 925 °C, so that thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) loading in which the temperature exceeds the solvus leads to the dissolution of the γ′ precipitate, and a resulting solution treated material. The cyclic plasticity and creep behaviour of the solution treated material is quite different to that of the material with standard heat treatment. A time-independent cyclic plasticity model with kinematic and isotropic hardening has been developed for solution treated and standard heat treated nickel-base superalloy C263. It has been combined with the physically-based creep model to provide constitutive equations for TMF in C263 over the temperature range 20-950 °C, capable of predicting deformation and life in creep cavitation-dominated TMF failure.