K. -. S. Wu, F. Zhang, W. -. S. Cao, Y. Yang, S. -. L. Chen, CompuTherm, LLC, Madison, WI; Y. A. Chang, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
To meet the requirements of new technology, materials must be improved by adjusting alloy chemistry and processing conditions to achieve desired microstructures and mechanical properties. Traditionally, these improvements have been made by a slow and labor intensive series of experiments. Recently, a lot of efforts have been focused on the development of computational tools that can be used to predict microstructure evolutions and mechanical properties given alloy composition and processing conditions. These tools are useful in alloy design, selection of parameters for fabrication steps such as heat-treating, prediction of performance, and failure analysis. Implementation of such tools has resulted in significant cost savings through the elimination of shop/laboratory trials and tests in the development of new alloys and improvement of the existing ones.
In this presentation, we will present the computational tool developed at CompuTherm LLC for the precipitation simulation of nickel alloys, such as IN718 and U720. The tool includes robust software package for thermodynamic calculation and precipitation simulation, and database which provides thermodynamic and mobility model parameters of nickel alloys. Examples will be presented to show how we can use this tool to carry out precipitation simulation of nickel alloys under different heat treatment conditions. The output results include the amount and size change of each precipitate phase with time, particle size distribution, TTT curves and so on. A unique feature of the tool which can be used to find the best or worst scenario will also be discussed.
Summary: To meet the requirements of new technology, materials must be improved by adjusting alloy chemistry and processing conditions to achieve desired microstructures and mechanical properties. In this presentation, we will present the computational tool developed at CompuTherm LLC for the precipitation simulation of nickel alloys, such as IN718 and U720. The tool includes robust software package for thermodynamic calculation and precipitation simulation, and database which provides thermodynamic and mobility model parameters of nickel alloys. Examples will be presented to show how we can use this tool to carry out precipitation simulation of nickel alloys under different heat treatment conditions. The output results include the amount and size change of each precipitate phase with time, particle size distribution, TTT curves and so on. A unique feature of the tool which can be used to find the best or worst scenario will also be discussed.
