Evaluation of Carbides in Turbine Blade Made of IN713C Superalloy After Hot Isostatic Pressing

The IN713C is nickel-based superalloy, used to produce low pressure turbine blades in a process of investment casting. However, porosity which is formed during the casting, decreases mechanical properties of IN713C. Therefore, to eliminate porosity, a process of hot isostatic pressing was applied. Nonetheless, HIP also least to some changes in the microstructure of tested material. The main aim of this paper is to characterize the morphology of carbides before and after hot isostatic pressing. Microstructural characterization was carried out with the use of a scanning electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer and an electron backscatter diffraction detector. The size and shape of carbides were evaluated by quantitative metallography methods methods. The results show that the amount, size and heterogeneity of arrangement of the carbides increased after application of HIP treatment.