High Temperature Oxidation of TiAl and TiAl8Nb alloys in Air

Isothermal oxidation of two gamma-TiAl-based intermetallic alloys: Ti48Al and Ti46Al8Nb alloys was studied in synthetic air at 1073-1223 K for up to 240 hrs. Mass change per unit area for the oxidized samples followed approximately the parabolic rate law. The k(p) values for the studied temperature interval were in the range from 7.2.10(-13) to 1.8.10(-11) g(2)cm(-4)s(-1). The activation energy for oxidation of Ti48Al alloy in air at 1073-1223 K was E-a = 165 +/- 12 kJ/mol. Niobium addition to Ti48Al alloy in the amount of 8% increased its oxidation resistance. Structure and chemical composition of the oxidation products, and morphology of the oxidized samples were investigated using XRD, SEM-EDS, and TEM. The oxide scales formed on Ti48Al and Ti46Al8Nb alloys were well adherent to the metallic substrates and exhibited a multilayer structure. Depending on the oxidation temperature and the alloy composition, the scale consisted of variable amounts of TiO2 and Al2O3. Additionally TiN, and niobium rich particles were also identified in the appropriate oxide scale. To understand the growth mechanism of oxide scale formed on Ti46Al8Nb alloy, two stage oxidation experiment was performed using O-16(2)/O-18(2), followed by SNMS and TEM-EDS. Particular attention was paid to the use of TEM in order to precisely characterize the reaction products on the Ti46Al8Nb alloy.