Microstructure and tensile properties of aged Superalpha 2 intermetallic compound

Abstract

Specimens of commercially available Superalpha 2 were solution heat treated at 1060°C in the (α₂ + β phase field, air cooled, then aged at temperatures between 650 and 950°C followed by air cooling. During aging, the B2 phase was more stable than expected from earlier work. The aged specimens were tensile tested to failure at room temperature and microstructural studies were carried out using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and analytical transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the strength of Superalpha 2 could be dramatically increased by aging at low temperatures, which refines the β matrix. The ductility at room temperature was observed to depend on the volume fraction of retained B2 phase.

MST/1578