Nickel-based alloys are highly temperature-resistant, resistant to corrosion and also very tough. Thus, they are presently the more often exploited material for components that are exposed to non-uniform mechanical strains at working temperatures up to 1100 °C. Because of their high heat resistance, thermal fatigue resistance and oxidation resistance in the high-temperature range of aviation turbines, their preferred areas of application are in gas turbine construction as well as in the construction of chemical instruments [BRAN81, KOEN87].
In turbine construction, compressors and turbines of high power densities expose their components, especially turbine blades, to highly complex stress profiles. They are thermally strained with very high gas inflow temperatures and experience additional mechanical stress from centrifugal forces caused by rotation and have to withstand stress variations due to varying operational conditions [TREF96]. Depending on the request profile, nickel-based alloys of varying microstructures are used in this context.