Heat treatment of precipitation hardenable nickel and nickel-iron alloys

摘要

This invention provides a process for improving, to at least a predetermined level, the stress rupture life and/or stress rupture ductility of precipitation hardenable nickel and nickel-iron base alloys containing nickel, niobium, and silicon when said alloys have less than a predetermined level of these stress rupture properties when worked and aged by a primary heat treatment. This improvement in properties is accomplished by controlled precipitation of a sufficient quantity of a (Ni, Nb, Si)-containing intermetallic phase.