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Turbine Housing Failure Due to Sigma Phase Precipitation and Embrittlement of Niobium-Stabilized Austenitic Steel Casting

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Abstract

Failure investigation of Nb-stabilized GX40CrNiSi25-12 austenitic steel turbine housing casting subjected to high-temperature degradation under cyclic thermal and strain loading was performed. Crucial, temperature-dependent microstructural degradation due to intermetallic sigma (σ) phase precipitation was observed. Despite the typical for as cast condition stable spheroidal, also needle-like and square-like σ phase precipitation was detected. The σ phase increased the hardness and decreased the toughness, as well as the elongation of the turbine housing casting. Embrittlement caused by σ phase precipitation determined cracking initiation and propagation processes. As a result, turbine housing failed during industrial testing due to intergranular multicracking mechanism.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. BorgWarner Turbo Systems, BorgWarner Poland, Rzeszow Technical Center, 950A Jasionka, 36-002, Jasionka, Poland

    Artur Jaworski & Łukasz Krawczyk

  2. Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, Rzeszow University of Technology, 12 Powstancow Warszawy Avenue, 35-959, Rzeszow, Poland

    Krzysztof Kubiak

  3. R&D Laboratory for Aerospace Materials, 4 Zwirki and Wigury Str., 35-036, Rzeszow, Poland

    Krzysztof Kubiak

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  1. Artur Jaworski
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  2. Łukasz Krawczyk
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Correspondence to Artur Jaworski.

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Jaworski, A., Krawczyk, Ł. & Kubiak, K. Turbine Housing Failure Due to Sigma Phase Precipitation and Embrittlement of Niobium-Stabilized Austenitic Steel Casting. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 29, 1535–1543 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-020-04626-y

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