Nickel-based superalloys are widely used in aero-engin due to their high strength, toughness, corrosion resistance, and creep resistance at high temperatures. Strain rate, temperature, and strain are important factors influencing the microstructural evolution of nickel-based superalloys. In this work, a typical nickel-based superalloy, GH4738 alloy, is selected to study the dynamic compressive deformation behavior of this material. Split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) compression test is performed on GH4738 superalloy at strain rates of 1000–7500 s
–1 in a temperature range from RT to 500 ℃. The yield strength of GH4738 superalloy decreases with temperature rising and increases with strain rate increasing; however, at a temperature of 500 ℃ and a strain rate of 7500 s
–1, it drops sharply. In order to understand the microscopic deformation behavior of GH4738 superalloy, parallel specimens are prepared with SHPB at frozen strains of –0.02, –0.05, –0.10, –0.20 and –0.25 at a strain rate of 3000 s
–1 for the cases of RT, 400 ℃ and 500 ℃, respectively. Neutron diffraction technique is used to characterize the evolutions of lattice constants and elastic lattice strains. We define the horizontal lattice mismatch as the lattice misfit at the
γ/
γ' interface perpendicular to the SHPB compressed direction, and the vertical lattice mismatch as the lattice misfit parallel to the SHPB compression direction. As the frozen strain increases, the horizontal lattice mismatch exhibits a positive value and an upward trend, while the vertical lattice mismatch changes from a positive value to a negative value; the elastic lattice strain of the
γ' phase continues to increase, while the elastic lattice strain of the
γ phase remains almost unchanged. The lattice strains of the 111 and 220 planes are negative respectively at 400 ℃ and 500 ℃ but positive at room temperature(RT); the lattice strain of the 200 plane alternates between positive and negative values from RT to 500 ℃, while that of the 311 plane remains negative throughout this temperature range. However, at a frozen strain of –0.25, the lattice strain of the 311 plane exhibits a significant rebound at both RT and 500 ℃, indicating the generation of significant intergranular stresses in the material. Dislocation configurations are characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to explain the underlying mechanism. At RT, plastic deformation is dominated by
γ-
γ' co-deformation, with defects manifesting as parallel slip bands and stacking faults. Lattice misfit is effectively relaxed due to the formation of dislocation networks at γ/γ
' interfaces, resulting in minimal residual lattice strain at RT. At 500 ℃, dislocation density increases substantially because both γ and γ
' phases readily undergo plastic deformation under thermal activation. Under such conditions, dislocation networks fail to compensate for lattice distortions induced by defect multiplication, resulting in high lattice misfit and residual lattice strain. At 400 ℃, the alternating dominance of dislocation climb and slip induces fluctuations in both lattice misfit and residual lattice strain. Due to slow dislocation density accumulation,
hkl lattice strains continuously increase. This contrasts with the RT and 500 ℃ scenarios, where rising dislocation density partially recovers elastic lattice distortion and even induces
hkl lattice strain rebound at high strains (
ε = –0.20 – –0.25).