A Review of Recent Advances in the Understanding of Thermomechanical Fatigue Durability and Failure Mechanisms in Nickel-Based Superalloys

Abstract

Nickel-based superalloys operate primarily in high-temperature environments where their unique microstructure provides operational capability far in excess of many other engineering materials. As such these materials often operate in applications where thermal cycles occur alongside mechanical fatigue, giving rise to the phenomenon of thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF). The field of study of TMF has historically been limited due to the need for improved experimental methods to replicate in-service cycles appropriately and provide usable data for component lifing. With the development of international test standards the field has developed rapidly over the past two decades and this paper seeks to review the recent work in the field in the areas of both single crystal and polycrystalline materials to provide a state of the art summary of the current position of the field related to durability and failure mechanisms.