Single Crystal Superalloys

Science
Single Crystal Superalloys

On Friday, I wrote about the development of amorphous or “glassy” metal alloys, in which the atoms are packed together with no regular crystal structure. At the microscopic level, almost all metals are made of crystal grains, which can be bigger or smaller depending on how the metal has been heat treated. Amorphous alloys, recall, are extremely unusual among metals because they can be cast without forming crystal grains at all.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are single crystal (SC or SX) alloys, which are mixtures of metals that can be cast in such a way that the entire object is essentially a single giant “grain,” i.e. one continuous crystal. Among minerals like quartz, large objects composed of a single crystal are fairly common; you also may have seen the large ingots of artificially-grown single-crystal silicon, known as “boules,” from which wafers are cut to make microchips and other semiconductor devices.

But when it comes to metals, single-crystal objects are outside of most people’s experience. Forming single-crystal metal objects requires both special alloys and special casting techniques. The alloys are almost always nickel-based, with as many as nine minor metal components including five or more percent chromium, cobalt, tungsten, tantalum, aluminum, and/or rhenium. The casting method is known as “directional solidification,” and involves carefully cooling a cast metal part starting at one end to guarantee a particular orientation of its crystal structure. That orientation is chosen, naturally, based on expected stresses in the finished part.

The primary application for single crystal superalloys is the manufacture of jet engine turbine blades, which must endure tremendous forces at extremely high temperatures for prolonged periods of time. Under such conditions, metals with a grain structure tend to “creep,” or slowly deform, along grain boundaries. Because single-crystal alloy parts have no grain boundaries, however, they are highly resistant to this kind of wear.

If you’re interested in reading more, check out the excellent online primer on nickel-based superalloy technology maintained by The University of Cambridge’s Dr. Harry Bhadeshia.

25 thoughts on “Single Crystal Superalloys

  1. Jake Spurlock says:

    Someday, I want to be SMR smrt…

  2. mathcampbell says:

    I was actually given one of these turbine blades when I was visiting an air-force base (it was a “dead” one, removed from an engine during overhaul). The tech’s spent a wee while explaining the process in creating them, and that they are single-cyrtal metals…
    Fascinating stuff, and I have a piece of single-crystal metal as a souvenir! I’d almost forgotten about it until I saw that previous post and dug it out…

  3. Gareth Branwyn says:

    I don’t know, it’s probably a burden being that smart. You have to suffer the likes of dumb guys like us.

  4. Information by ccurtis - Pearltrees says:

    […] MAKE | Single Crystal Superalloys At the opposite end of the spectrum are single crystal (SC or SX) alloys , which are mixtures of metals that can be cast in such a way that the entire object is essentially a single giant “grain,” i.e. one continuous crystal. […]

  5. MAKE | Top 10: Marvellous Metals says:

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  7. don buchanan says:

    titanium oxides is only malleable,when it’s free of oxygen.

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  23. What this Turbine Does is Bigger than Winning the Triple Crown (or Prix de L’arc de Triomphe ) | Thoughts from business design Master students says:

    […] EDF’s gas turbine during production in Belfort. Above: Blades made from superalloy monocrystals help the HA turbine manage temperatures as high as 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit and extract more […]

  24. What this Turbine Does is Bigger than Winning the Triple Crown (or Prix de L’arc de Triomphe ) | GE Reports says:

    […] EDF’s gas turbine during production in Belfort. Above: Blades made from superalloy monocrystals help the HA turbine manage temperatures as high as 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit and extract more […]

  25. This Gas Turbine Could Pump Up the Goodyear Blimp in About 10 Seconds. But How Do You Test It? | GE Reports says:

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I am descended from 5,000 generations of tool-using primates. Also, I went to college and stuff. I am a long-time contributor to MAKE magazine and makezine.com. My work has also appeared in ReadyMade, c't – Magazin für Computertechnik, and The Wall Street Journal.

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