Method for solution heat treated alloy components

Abstract

A method of estimating an unknown solvus for a phase of a given alloy includes providing empirical data of a plurality of alloys from an alloy class, the empirical data at least including chemical compositions, heating rates, cooling rates and alloy solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys, providing an alloy chemical composition, a selected heating rate and a selected cooling rate of another alloy from the alloy class that has an unknown solvus temperature, estimating the unknown solvus temperature based upon the empirical data to provide an estimated solvus temperature of the alloy, and establishing a solution heat treatment temperature corresponding to the estimated solvus temperature at which to treat a component that includes the alloy.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of estimating an unknown solvus for a phase of a given alloy, the method comprising:
 providing empirical data of a plurality of alloys from an alloy class, the empirical data at least including chemical compositions, heating rates, cooling rates and alloy solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys;   providing an alloy chemical composition, a selected heating rate and a selected cooling rate of another alloy from the alloy class that has an unknown solvus temperature;   estimating the unknown solvus temperature based upon the empirical data to provide an estimated solvus temperature of the alloy; and   establishing a solution heat treatment temperature corresponding to the estimated solvus temperature at which to treat a component that includes the alloy.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes determining an influence of the chemical compositions on the solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys. 
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes determining an influence of the heating rates on the solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes determining an influence of the cooling rates on the solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys. 
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes determining an influence of each of the chemical compositions, the heating rates and the cooling rates on the solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein:
 the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes determining an influence of the chemical compositions, heating rates and cooling rates on the solvus temperatures of the plurality of alloys; and   the estimating of the unknown solvus temperature includes comparing the alloy chemical composition, the selected heating rate and the selected cooling rate of the alloy that has the unknown solvus temperature to the chemical compositions, the heating rates and the cooling rates of the plurality of alloys to provide the estimated solvus temperature of the alloy.   
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the alloy class is a nickel-based alloy. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the nickel-based alloy has gamma double prime phase, gamma prime phase and a delta phase present after a solution heat treatment and a precipitation heat treatment. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the nickel-based alloy has a gamma prime phase and a delta phase present after a solution heat treatment and a precipitation heat treatment. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 7 , wherein the nickel-based alloy has gamma prime phase present after a solution heat treatment and a precipitation heat treatment.