The nickel based superalloy 720Li is employed in the gas turbine due to its mechanical performance at elevated temperature. A comprehensive assessment of the materials behaviour under representative service conditions is reported to address the drive for ever increasing temperatures and more arduous environmental exposure. Fatigue experiments have been performed in an air and air/SO_x environment at 700 ^∘C containing a mixed salt as a contaminant. There is an intimate relationship between local salt level (flux), stress level and stress state, i.e. static or cyclic. The interaction with these variables with the work hardened layer present on the surface of all tested specimens as a result of the shot peening process directly affects the crack initiation process. If specific conditions of environment and stress are achieved, a significant reduction in fatigue life is observed.

Hollie Rosier¹, Karen Perkins¹, Andrew Girling¹, Jonathan Leggett² and Grant Gibson²