Boron addition improves Co-Re base alloy properties
What is it about?
Trace Boron additions (in parts per million) to high temperature Co and Ni alloys improve properties like strength and ductility. However, how exactly this improvement comes is still not clear. Boron is easy to detect with neutron in metallic alloys. We therefore attempted to understand the boron addition effect in Co-Re-base alloys using diffraction and other measurement techniques using neutron and synchrotron scattering. Advantage of neutron and high energy synchrotron is that bulk samples can me measured as compared to microscopy. Secondly measurements can be done at very high temperatures (above 1000°C) where the alloys are actually used in gas turbine engines.
Why is it important?
Co-Re based alloys are being developed by us to increase the temperature capability in gas turbines, which increases efficiency and reduces CO2 emission. Presently used Ni-superalloys cannot be used at these high temperature. Alloy development is a long drawn process and needs a complete understanding of the alloy system as well as tuning properties and improving them. It is the purpose of these study to find if and how Boron addition improve the alloy property and try to understand the functioning mechanism of this improvement.