Various alloy compositions were cast as single crystals in a Bridgman vacuum induction furnace and creep tested at 980 °C: pure Ni, the equiatomic alloys CoCrNi and CrMnFeCoNi (Cantor alloy), single-phase fcc (Ni) solid solution alloys (with the composition of the matrix-phase of CMSX-3 and CMSX-4), and two-phase Ni-based superalloys CMSX-3 and CMSX-4. Due to the single-crystal state, grain size effects, grain boundary sliding, and grain boundary diffusion can be excluded. The results identify two major strengthening mechanisms: solid solution strengthening and other mechanisms summarized as precipitation hardening. Configurational entropy does not increase creep strength: The Cantor alloy, with the highest configurational entropy of all alloys tested, shows a weak and similar creep strength at 980 °C in comparison to pure Ni with zero configurational entropy. The element Re is a very effective strengthener, both in single-phase fcc (Ni) solid solution alloys as well as in two-phase superalloys. Quantitative estimations of different strengthening mechanisms: internal back stress, misfit stresses, Orowan bowing, and γ′-phase cutting (in the case of two-phase superalloys) are presented. Finite element simulations allow estimating the influence of solid solution strengthening of the matrix on the creep behavior of the two-phase superalloys.

The phase-field method provides a powerful framework for microstructure evolution modeling in complex systems, as often required within the framework of integrated computational materials engineering. However, spurious grid friction, pinning and grid anisotropy seriously limit the resolution efficiency and accuracy of these models. The energetic resolution limit is determined by the maximum dimensionless driving force at which reasonable model operation is still ensured. This limit turns out to be on the order of 1 for conventional phase-field models. In 1D, grid friction and pinning can be eliminated by a global restoration of Translational Invariance (TI) in the discretized phase-field equation. This is called the sharp phase-field method, which allows to choose substantially coarser numerical resolutions of the diffuse interface without the appearance of pinning. In 3D, global TI restricts the beneficial properties to a few specific interface orientations. We propose an accurate scheme to restore TI locally in the local interface normal direction. The new sharp phase-field model overcomes grid friction and pinning in three-dimensional simulations, and can accurately operate at dimensionless driving forces up to the order of $$10^{4}$$10 4 . At one-grid-point interface resolutions, exceptional degrees of isotropy can be achieved, if further the largely inhomogeneous latent heat release at the advancing solid-liquid interface is mitigated. Imposing a newly proposed source term regularization, the new model captures the formation of isotropic seaweed structures without spurious dendritic selection by grid anisotropy, even at one-grid-point interface resolutions.