Part VIII - Papers - Grain Boundary Diffusion in Tungsten

Grain boundary dij]usion coefficienls were measured in tungsten between 1400° and 2200° C and can be expressed by the equation sq cm per sec This activation energy confirms some eavlier estimates made .from tungsten sintering experiments. Grain boundary diffusion was found to occur in sub-bozrndavies having -misorientations of less than 10 deg. The actiuation energy for this subboundavy diffusion is equal to that for dijjusion in incoherent grain boundaries with in the limits of error. This is shown to be consistent with the dislocation model of Low-angle boundaries wheve diffusion occlcvs along- the dislocation 'YPipes" comprising -tile boundary. RECENT investigations of the sintering of tungsten powders all report activation energies which are considerably less than the activation energy for tungsten volume diffusion. Kothari' reports a value of 100 * 5 kcal per mole, Hayden and Brophy' obtained 90 kcal per mole, and Vasilos and smith3 found 110.7 kcal per mole from their sintering studies. Since most determinations of the activation energy for volume diffu-sion4-' fall between 120 and 160 kcal per mole (the true value seems most likely to be nearer 150 kcal per mole), the conclusion is drawn that the mass transport leading to densification during sintering is accomplished by grain boundary diffusion. This interpretation is consistent with various diffusion models of the sintering process. 10-12 Vasilos and Smith calculate diffusion coefficients from their data which fit the equation D * 1.36 x 10* exp(-llO,700/HD However, no direct measurements of tungsten grain boundary diffusion have been made. Furthermore, considerable disagreement exists between the directly measured values of tungsten volume diffusion.'-' In order to corroborate the inferred results of the sintering experiments concerning grain boundary diffusion and to provide accurate diffusion data essential to the analysis of the kinetics of creep, oxidation, precipitation, and so forth, the present work was undertaken to measure self-diffusion in single-crystal and polycrystalline tungsten between 1400" and 2200°C. It is within this temperature range that tungsten sintering is done, the re crystallization of tungsten occurs, and the widest application of tungsten as a high-temperature material will probably be made. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Radioactive WlE5 was produced by irradiating tungstic acid in a neutron flux of 1.2 x 1012 neutrons per sq cm per sec for 36 hr. A 2-week waiting period was allowed for the decay of w"~ also produced by the irradiation. (w"~ has a half-life of 24 hr.) The half-life of the remaining isotope was determined to be 75 days confirming the presence of w lE5 and the absence of any undesired radionuclide. Specimens 4 in. in diam and $ in. thick were cut from polycrystalline swaged tungsten rods (recrystal-lized) and from Linde single-crystal rods. Chemical analyses of these materials appear in Table I. Actually upon closer examination, the single-crystal specimens were found to consist of several subgrains separated primarily by tilt boundaries in which the misor-ientation ranged from 3 to 10 deg. Thus, it was possible to measure boundary diffusion coefficients in these low-angle subboundaries as well as in the incoherent boundaries of the polycrystalline specimens. The two faces of each specimen were ground flat and parallel within 0.0001 in. The radioactive tungstic acid was dissolved in concentrated ammonium hydroxide, placed on the ground flat of the specimen, and evaporated to dryness. The oxide was then reduced in hydrogen at 1000°C resulting in a layer of wlE5 approximately 1 p thick. The diffusion anneals were performed in vacuum in a tantalum resistance furnace. Time at temperature ranged from 10 hr at 1400°C to 2 hr at 2200°C. The penetration profile was determined by measuring the residual activity after successive removal of surface layers by grinding on metallographic polishing paper. Extreme care was exercised to insure that sections were always taken normal to the diffusion direction; this was verified repeatedly by checking that front and back surfaces of the specimen remained parallel. The activity was measured with an end-window Geiger-Mueller counter. The sides and edges of the specimen were well-shielded to eliminate possible effects due to surface diffusion. The weight of the