Dissolution of the γ′ phase in a nickel base superalloy at equilibrium and under rapid heating

Dissolution of the γ′ phase in a PM superalloy Astroloy was studied at equilibrium and under rapid heating. The ‘solvus’ temperature of primary and secondary γ′ precipitates was determined experimentally. The most prominent feature concerns the large departure from equilibrium for the dissolution of the γ′ precipitates during rapid heating and this departure depends on the initial size of the precipitates. A model for γ′ dissolution during fast thermal cycling is proposed.