In situ digital image correlation study on the mechanical properties of GH4169 at different temperatures

GH4169 is a precipitation‐strengthened nickel‐based high‐temperature alloy, and its mechanical behavior at different temperatures is of significant importance for practical applications. Here, an in situ study on the mechanical properties and microstructural evolution of the GH4169 alloy at different temperatures was conducted using scanning electron microscopy in combination with digital image correlation. The results demonstrate the existence of a linear relationship between the local average strain and the macroscopic strain. At temperatures of 20 °C, 100 °C, 180 °C, and 260 °C, the local average strain is 1.96, 2.13, 2.26, and 2.30 times the macroscopic strain, respectively, which shows a clear trend. This indicates that the temperature has a significant influence on the plasticity of the alloy. Additionally, the strain is concentrated below the notch, whereby at a macroscopic strain of 1.7 % at 20 °C and 260 °C, the local maximum strain at the notch is 52 % and 83 %, respectively. Furthermore, when the macroscopic strain reaches 2.12 %, the local maximum strain at the notch is 72 % and 103 %, respectively. At this point, cracks start to initiate and gradually propagate. In situ observations show that at the beginning of the tensile plasticity stage, the plastic strain rate in the grains is twice the rate at the grain boundaries; subsequently, both rates tend to stabilize, and a high‐strain zone appears inside the grains and is coordinately transferred to the surrounding grains through the grain boundaries. The final stage of damage of the alloy consists of perforation fracture, and the presence of a large number of cracked carbides at the fracture results in specimen cracking.