Due to global warming, the demand for more efficient gas turbines has increased. A way to achieve this, is by increasing the operating temperature of the gas turbine. Therefore, nickel-based superalloys have been developed to withstand these extreme temperatures and loads, especially in the hot sections. Today, the way of operating land-based gas turbines is changing. Instead of running for long periods of time, the operation is becoming more flexible, with ever-increasing cyclic loads and number of start and stop cycles. To handle the increased stress and cycles, component resistance to fatigue failures need to be improved.

Surface integrity is critical to fatigue performance, since fatigue cracks normally initiate at a surface. Machining changes the surface integrity which can result in worse fatigue resistance. The work presented in this Ph.D. thesis was conducted in collaboration with Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB in Finspång, Sweden. Surface integrity changes which are induced during machining and their effects on fatigue performance have been studied on the alloy Inconel 718. Inconel 718 is a widely-used nickel-based superalloy for high temperature applications in modern gas turbines.

Broaching, milling, and wire electrical discharge machining, related to component manufacturing in turbo machinery industries, were included in this study. Machining induced surface defects provide preferential sites for fatigue crack initiation which influence the fatigue performance of the alloy. If compressive residual stresses are induced during machining, they benefit the fatigue life by retarding fatigue crack initiation away from surface regions. Shot peening was performed on machined Inconel 718, by which high compressive residual stresses are deliberately induced. It results in enhanced fatigue performance.

The high temperatures in gas turbines generally deteriorate the surface integrity. Recrystallization often occurs in the highly deformed surface layer. Microstructural degradation, in the form of α-Cr precipitates, have also been frequently observed in the deformed surface and sub-surface microstructure. Oxidation at elevated temperatures degrades the surface integrity and thereby also the fatigue performance. Fatigue cracks are preferably initiated at oxidized surface carbides, if thermal exposure has been made prior to the test. It is even worse when high temperatures relax the beneficial surface compression induced by shot-peening and thereby lowering the fatigue resistance.

Machinability of a newly developed nickel-based superalloy, AD 730^TM, and the surface integrity induced during turning have also been studied in this thesis project. AD 730^TM is a candidate for turbine disc applications with an operating temperature above 650 °C. At such high temperatures, Inconel 718 is no longer stable and its mechanical properties start to degrade.

To summarize, the results from this thesis work show the importance of understanding surface integrity effects for fatigue applications, especially in harsh environments. Moreover, the knowledge gained through this work could be used for surface enhancement of turbine components which are subjected to a high risk of fatigue failure. These will contribute to more efficient and flexible power generation by gas turbines.