Vapor phase strengthening of nickel-based alloys for actively-cooled thermostructural panels

Actively cooled thermostructural panels for use in emerging hypersonic flight systems require the use of advanced materials able to support substantial loads at elevated temperatures. A major challenge in this advancing technology is identifying formable structural materials that are strong, tough and oxidation resistant. For thermostructural panels to be optimized for low mass with an appropriate combination of mechanical strength and cooling capacity, the panel is required to have a thin-walled geometry. Advanced, high strength cast Ni-based alloys have attractive properties, but the fabrication of sub-millimeter walls with conventional casting processes would be extremely challenging. The purpose of this study is to develop a new processing path that would result in a rectangular channeled panel made of a nickel-based precipitation strengthened alloy in a previously unobtainable thin-walled geometry suitable for active cooling. Beginning with thin sheets of Ni-based solid-solution alloys and subsequently strengthening the material by vapor phase aluminization combined with an annealing treatment, this objective is accomplished. This study includes selecting a wrought nickel-based alloy as the base substrate for panel fabrication, determining a goal gamma + gamma' microstructure, fabricating rectangular channeled panels, and testing the actively cooled panels at high temperature. Thermodynamic, yield strength, and panel geometry modeling was integrated to determine an optimized geometry and microstructure for the strengthened panel. Panels were fabricated with the optimized geometry and tested at high temperature with active cooling in both the as-fabricated and strengthened states. The strengthened panel was able to withstand a temperature 478°C higher than the as-fabricated panel indicating the increase in strengthening and temperature capability possible with this process.