Abstract:
Materials exhibit a wide variety of properties in broadly varying magnitudes, and hence different materials find different applications depending on their suitability. These properties can be categorized as mechanical, electrical, thermal, magnetic and physical. For example, mechanical properties of materials are of crucial importance in various applications where materials are subjected to forces and stresses. The ability to bear these forces and stresses without undergoing a permanent deformation decreases with increasing temperature for most of the alloys. This strength, known as the yield strength, however increases (or at least does not decrease) as a function of temperature for a certain class of materials. Ni-based superalloys belong to such a class of materials characterized with superior high-temperature mechanical strength, in addition to corrosion and creep resistance in harsh environments. Due to the combination of these properties, they are the preferred materials for the hot sections such as turbine blades and turbine discs of gas turbine engines used in the aerospace and power generation industries.
