Temperature Range of Heating Rate Dependent Reactions Leading to Spinel Formation on a Ni-Based Superalloy

Abstract Improved oxidation kinetics for a polycrystalline Ni-based superalloy used in turbine disc applications has been shown to be possible by controlling the heating rate of the first thermal exposure to 5 °C min −1 . The beneficial effect arises from the formation of a protective layer of NiCr 2 O 4 , instead of the more usually formed doped Cr 2 O 3 . This study shows that it was possible to form the NiCr 2 O 4 at temperatures up to 725 °C, within the operational conditions for this alloy, and that at higher temperatures Cr 2 O 3 formed. The improvements in alloy performance extended to the internal oxidation processes where reduced depths of degradation were observed. It is demonstrated here that Al 2 O 3 formation is less thermodynamically stable when the highly protective NiCr 2 O 4 oxide is present at the alloy surface compared to the doped Cr 2 O 3 . Synchrotron XRD was performed on samples removed during the heating stage and provided evidence of the oxidation sequence occurring, enabling refinement in the thermodynamic calculations and suggesting an additional route to the formation of the NiCr 2 O 4 .