High-Temperature Superalloys: Uncovering New Mechanisms for Enhanced Performance

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• Dr Steffen Neumeier, FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Thursday 19 June 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Goldsmiths' 2 & https://zoom.us/j/96836714124.

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Caroline Teagle.

Refreshments and cakes will be available!

Metallic high-temperature materials, particularly superalloys, are crucial to modern technology; without them, essential applications such as rockets for launching satellites, jet engines for global mobility, and stationary gas turbines for electricity generation would be unfeasible. Superalloys have been developed over several decades and have undergone continuous improvement to operate at increasingly high temperatures, aiming to enhance efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. Extensive research has been carried out on superalloys since the mid-20th century, leading to the assumption that the fundamental mechanisms that govern their performance are fully understood. This presentation will address several key questions that challenge this notion: 1. Are there mechanisms for strengthening alloys at high temperatures beyond the classical approaches, such as solid solution hardening and precipitation strengthening? 2. Are slowly diffusing elements always the most effective for enhancing creep strength? 3. Do Kear-Wilsdorf locks invariably account for yield strength anomalies? 4. Is embrittlement at intermediate temperatures solely attributed to environmental factors like oxidation at grain boundaries? The findings presented will demonstrate that the answers to these fundamental questions are, in fact, “no.” New insights indicate that diffusion-controlled segregation of alloying elements plays a pivotal role in high-temperature deformation. Understanding these phenomena is essential for the design of future alloys that possess even better properties for high-temperature applications.

Bio: PD Dr.-Ing. Steffen Neumeier is a senior scientist and group leader at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Germany. He studied Materials Science and Engineering at the FAU , where he received his Diploma (Dipl.-Ing.) in 2006. Afterwards he did his PhD from 2006 to 2009 on 4th generation Ni-base superalloys in the group of Prof. M. Göken at the FAU , from where he obtained his doctorate degree with distinction in 2010. During his postdoc period from 2009 to 2010 in the group of Prof. C. Rae and Prof. H. Stone at the Rolls-Royce-University Technology Center of the University of Cambridge, UK, he worked on the identification and development of novel alloys for high temperature structural applications. Since 2011, he leads the “High temperature materials group” at the Institute MSE I , General Materials Properties, and is a lecturer at the FAU . In 2024, he completed his habilitation at the FAU , earning the title of “Privatdozent (PD)”. Dr. Neumeier’s primary research focus is on the correlation between composition, processing, microstructure and mechanical properties of high temperature materials, such as Ni-, Co- and Fe-based superalloys, intermetallics, titanium aluminides, in-situ eutectic composites, refractory and platinum group metal alloys, complex concentrated alloys and coatings. His further scientific interests are the impact of hydrogen on structural materials and their characterization by X-ray and neutron scattering and diffraction techniques. Dr. Steffen Neumeier received the Young scientist award in 2010 and the Masing Memorial Award in 2016 of the German Society for Materials Science (DGM). He (co-)authored more than 150 peer-reviewed journal and proceeding articles in the field of materials science. He has an h-index of 38 and was among the top two percent of the most cited scientists worldwide in 2021.

This talk is part of the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy Goldsmiths' Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy Goldsmiths' Seminars
• Goldsmiths' 2 & https://zoom.us/j/96836714124

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