Mechanical properties of the Ni3(Si, Ti) alloys doped with carbon and beryllium

The Ni3(Si, Ti) alloys doped with small amounts of carbon and beryllium were tensile tested in two environments, vacuum and air, over a wide range of test temperatures. The yield stresses of the carbon-doped alloys were almost identical to the undoped alloys while those of the beryllium-doped alloys were slightly higher than the undoped Ni3(Si, Ti) alloys. The doping with carbon enhanced the elongation and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) whereas doping with beryllium reduced the elongation over the entire temperature range tested. The fracture patterns were primarily associated with the ductility behaviour. As the elongation (or UTS) increased, the fracture pattern changed from the intergranular to the transgranular fracture patterns. No environmental embrittlement of the ductility of the carbon-doped alloys was found at ambient temperatures but it was evident at elevated temperatures. Ductilities were reduced at high temperatures when the carbon-doped alloys were tensile tested in air. At high temperatures the environmental embrittlement observed is suggested to be due to the penetration of (free) oxygen into the grain boundaries causing the ductility loss in the carbondoped alloys.