With current high temperature structural materials such as nickel based superalloys being pushed to the limits of suitable operating conditions, there comes a need for replacement materials with even higher temperature capabilities. Niobium silicon based systems have been shown to have superior density normalized strength at elevated temperatures when compared to currently used alloys. The drawbacks associated with the niobium silicon system are due to catastrophic oxidation behavior at elevated temperatures. Alloying addition have been shown to increase the oxidation resistance near suitable levels, but also decrease the high temperature strength and increases creep rates when compared to the binary alloy system.
The microstructure of the material is similar to metal matrix composites in which high melting temperature silicides are dispersed in a niobium based matrix phase. The silicides produce high temperature strength while the niobium based matrix increases the room temperature properties such as fracture toughness. The bulk of the research has been conducted on directionally solidified material which has a coarse microstructure due to the slow cooling rates associated with the processing condition. The current research uses a powder metallurgy process termed Laser Engineered Net Shaping, or LENS, to produce material with a significantly refined microstructure due to fast cooling rates associated with the laser process. Several compositions of alloys were examined and the ideal processing parameters were determined for each alloy. The resulting microstructures show a refinement of the microstructure as expected with a fine scale distribution of Nb5Si3 and Nb3Si dispersed in a niobium based matrix phase.
The high temperature oxidation behavior of the LENS deposited alloys was comparable to alloys produced using other techniques. A non protective oxide scale formed on samples exposed for only 0.5 hours but was not protective and showed large amounts of spallation at extended exposure times. The increase in grain boundaries and interfaces did not significantly increase the internal oxidation rate despite increased oxidation rates along these defects. The high temperature compression behavior was comparable to other alloys and processing techniques despite having a lower silicon content and therefore a smaller volume fraction of strengthening phase present. Dissolved oxygen levels in the LENS deposits appeared to be responsible for the increased strength at elevated temperatures. The oxygen levels in LENS processed alloys were higher than material produced by other processing techniques. The current work illustrates that the LENS processing techniques is a viable processing method for niobium silicide based materials and potentially increases the strength of the material.