Elevated temperature deformation of thoria dispersed nickel-chromium

The deformation behavior of thoria nickel-chromium (TD-NiCr) was examined over the temperature range 593 C (1100 F) to 1260 C (2300 F) in tension and compression and at 1093 C (2000 F) in creep. Major emphasis was placed on: (1) the effects of the material and test related variables (grain size, temperature, stress and strain rate) on the deformation process; and (2) the evaluation of single crystal TD-NiCr material produced by a directional recrystallization process. Elevated temperature yield strength levels and creep activation enthalpies were found to increase with increasing grain size reaching maximum values for the single crystal TD-NiCr. Stress exponent of the steady state creep rate was also significantly higher for the single crystal TD-NiCr as compared to that determined for the polycrystalline materials. The elevated temperature deformation of TD-NiCr was analyzed in terms of two concurrent, parallel processes: diffusion controlled grain boundary sliding, and dislocation motion