State of the sub-surface microstructure of carbides strengthened cast superalloys after high temperature oxidation - Use of thermodynamic modelling for a better understanding

Several cast strengthened superalloys, Ni base and Co base, were exposed to high temperature oxidation for long times and metallographically examined. Different, phenomena occurred in the sub-surface microstructure, depending on both alloy and temperature. Thermodynamic modelling was used to know what it happened for carbon during oxidation, then to explain the observed microstructural changes. It appears that carbon atoms either quit the alloy probably after its oxidation into gases, or on the contrary go deeper into the bulk where they promote the precipitation of new carbides by solid state transformation. Thereafter, thermodynamic modelling allowed to know the new local refractoriness of the zones affected by oxidation, then to appreciate the new mechanical properties in the sub-surface.