Effects of long-term aging on ductility and microstructure of Cb and Mo alloys

A program was conducted to determine if aging embrittlement occurs in columbium-base alloys C-103, Cb-1Zr, and Cb-752 or in a molybdenum alloy, Mo-TZM. Results showed that aging embrittlement does not occur in C-103, Cb-1Zr, or Mo-TZM during long-term (1000 hour) aging at temperatures in the range of 700-1025 C. In comparison, aging embrittlement occurred in the Cb-752 alloy after similar aging at 900 C. A critical combination of the solute additions W and Zr led to Zr segregation at grain boundaries during long-term aging which subsequently resulted in embrittlement as indicated by an increase in the ductile-brittle transition temperature from below -196 C to about -150 C.