The service performance of single crystal blades depends on the crystal orientation. A grain selection method assisted by directional columnar grains is studied to control the crystal orientation of Ni-based single crystal superalloys. The samples were produced by the Bridgman technique at withdrawal rates of 100 μm/s. During directional solidification, the directional columnar grains are partially melted, and a number of stray grains are formed in the transition zone just above the melt-back interface. The grain selected by this method was one that grew epitaxially along the un-melted directional columnar grains. Finally, the mechanism of selection grain and application prospect of this grain selection method assisted by directional columnar grains is discussed.

In this research, the diffusion behaviors within the Ti-Fe-Cr ternary system were examined at the temperatures of 1273 K and 1373 K through the diffusion couple technique. This study led to the determination of both ternary inter-diffusion and impurity diffusion coefficients in the body-centered cubic (bcc) phase for the Ti-Fe-Cr alloy, utilizing the Whittle–Green and Hall methods. The statistics show that the average diffusion coefficients ${\tilde{D}}_{FeFe}^{Ti}$ and ${\tilde{D}}_{CrCr}^{Ti}$ measured at 1273 K were 1.34 × 10⁻¹² and 3.66 × 10⁻¹³, respectively. At 1373 K, the average values of ${\tilde{D}}_{FeFe}^{Ti}$ and ${\tilde{D}}_{CrCr}^{Ti}$ were 4.89 × 10⁻¹² and 1.43 × 10⁻¹². By adopting the CALPHAD method, a self-consistent database for atomic mobility in the bcc phase of the Ti-Fe-Cr system was established. This database underwent refinement by comparing the newly acquired diffusion coefficients with data from the existing literature. Diffusion simulations for the diffusion couples were performed, drawing on the established database. The error between the simulated diffusion coefficient and the experimental measurement data is within 15%, and the simulated data of the component distance distribution and diffusion path are in good agreement with the experimental data. The simulations generated results that aligned well with the observed experimental diffusion characteristics, thereby affirming the reliability and accuracy of the database.