Characterization of intermetallic precipitates in a Nimonic alloy by ultrasonic velocity measurements

Ultrasonic velocity measurements have been carried out in Nimonic 263 specimens thermally aged at 923 and 1073 K for durations up to 75 h and correlated with the results of hardness measurements and electron microscopy studies. The ultrasonic velocities and hardness results obtained in the specimens thermally aged at both temperatures clearly indicated that ultrasonic velocity is more sensitive to the initiation of the precipitation, whereas the influence of precipitation on hardness can be observed only after the precipitates attain a minimum size to influence the movement of dislocations. Further, ultrasonic velocity measurements also revealed faster kinetics and a lesser amount of precipitation at 1073 K compared to 923 K due to higher solubility of precipitate-forming elements.