Microstructure and cyclic oxidation behavior of hot dip aluminized coating on Ni-base superalloy Inconel 718

Ni-base superalloy In-718 was coated by hot-dipping into a molten bath containing Al-7wt.%Si. Cyclic oxidation experiments on bare substrate and aluminized alloy were conducted at 1100 °C, covering 240 cycles in static air. After hot dip treatment the coating layers consisted of two phases Al and FeAlSi were detected in the external topcoat to the aluminide/alloy substrate. After oxidation testing, a continuous alumina scale was detected on the surface of the aluminide layer. This coating shows better cyclic oxidation resistance for In-718 alloy than untreated substrate. Cr₂O₃ was found to be the primary oxide phase in the oxidation of bare In-718 alloy. The inward diffusion of Al in the aluminide layer was restricted by the interdiffusion zone. The NiAl phase constituent of the aluminide layer was similar through all of the testing. Only the γ phase could be found below the coating surface and in the subsurface region as aluminum was lost to form the oxide.     

The effects of ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) on pack aluminizing for the fabrication of Pt-modified aluminide coatings at low temperatures

An 8–9 μm thick Pt layer was coated on a superalloy and transformed to a Ni–Pt alloy layer by the interdiffusion of Ni and Pt at 1050 °C for 3 h. The surface of the Ni–Pt alloy layer was pack aluminized to form a Pt-modified aluminide coating. Ultrasonic nanocrystal surface modification (UNSM) was applied to the alloy layer prior to pack aluminizing. The effects of UNSM on Pt-modified aluminide coatings fabricated at 750, 850, 950, and 1050 °C were studied. The treated Ni–Pt alloy layers had finer grain sizes than the untreated specimens. In addition, UNSM made the grain size of the Ni–Pt alloy finer and reduced the surface roughness. During pack aluminizing, the Pt-modified aluminide coatings fabricated following UNSM uptook more Al and were thicker than the untreated Pt-modified aluminide coatings at the various temperatures (750, 850, 950, and 1050 °C). The untreated Pt-modified aluminide coatings with pack aluminizing performed at 750 and 850 °C were composed of only a two-phase (NiAl + PtAl₂) layer, due to insufficient diffusion of Pt at the lower temperatures. However, two-phase and one-phase (NiAl) layers were obtained in the treated Pt-modified aluminide coatings which were pack-aluminized at 750, 850, 950, and 1050 °C, due to the diffusion of Pt through the greater amount of grain boundaries and increased volume generated by UNSM before the pack aluminizing. Additionally, the treated coatings had smoother surfaces even after the pack aluminizing. During cyclic oxidation at 1150 °C for 1000 h, the treated Pt-modified aluminide coatings aluminized at relatively low temperatures (750 and 850 °C) showed better cyclic oxidation resistance than the untreated Pt-modified aluminide coating aluminized at 1050 °C.     

Cyclic oxidation of Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coating on a nickel-based superalloy at 1150 °C

Pt-, Pd-, and Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings were prepared on Inconel 738LC by pack aluminizing at 1034 °C. During pack aluminizing, Pt-modified aluminide coating formed a two-phase β-NiAl + PtAl₂ layer and a β-NiAl layer on an interdiffusion zone, whereas Pd- and Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings formed only the thicker β-NiAl layer. However, Pd-modified aluminide coating had many pores. During cyclic oxidation, Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coating had a surface that was less rumpled than that of Pt-modified aluminide coating due to its thicker thickness. Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coating had a 22% greater Al-uptake than Pt-modified aluminide coating. Cyclic oxidation tests at 1150 °C showed that Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coating had the best cyclic oxidation resistance. After the cyclic oxidation, an additional γ-Ni phase was seen beneath the outermost alumina scale on the the γ′-Ni₃Al phase in Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coating. The γ-Ni phase, which had a higher Cr content, increased the adhesion and stability of the alumina.     

Effect of Al Content on Microstructure and Cyclic Oxidation Performance of Pt-Aluminide Coatings

The effect of Al content, i.e., the amount of Al picked up during aluminizing, on the microstructure and cyclic oxidation properties of Pt-aluminide coatings has been investigated. The cast Ni-base superalloy CM-247 was used as the substrate material and a single-step, high-activity pack aluminizing process was used to produce the Pt-aluminide coatings. The Al content of these coatings was varied by using packs with different compositions of the Al source. Pt-aluminide coatings having three different Al contents, namely 6.5, 16, and 21 mg cm^-2, were evaluated for their cyclic oxidation resistance at 1200°C in air. It was found that the Pt-aluminide coatings, irrespective of their Al contents, evolve in the same manner during aluminizing and result in a three-layer structure with an outer PtAl₂+NiAl two-phase layer, an intermediate NiAl layer, and the inner interdiffusion layer. The stability of this three-layer coating structure over long periods of aluminizing, however, is dependent on the availability of Al from the pack during this period. Below a certain threshold Al availability, the two-phase outer layer transforms to a single-phase NiAl structure causing the coating to change from its three-layer structure to a two-layer one. Cyclic oxidation results indicate that, while a minimum Al content in Pt-aluminide coatings is essential for deriving the best oxidation performance, increasing the Al content beyond a certain level does not significantly enhance oxidation behavior. The effect of Al content on aspects, such as coating degradation and nature of coating–surface damage during cyclic oxidation, is also discussed.     

Structure and cyclic oxidation resistance of Pt, Pt/Pd-modified and simple aluminide coatings on CMSX-4 superalloy

The coatings were prepared by the means of Pt and Pt/Pd galvanizing, followed by vapor phase aluminizing at 1050 °C. Microstructural and phase analysis revealed that all the investigated coatings consisted mainly of β-NiAl phase, however the Pt-modified aluminide coating also contained PtAl₂ phase and pure platinum precipitates. The cross-sectional microstructure of the coatings was zonal and composed of β-NiAl phase zone and the diffusion zone. The Pt modified aluminide coating's cross-section also incorporated an outermost zone consisting of β-NiAl and PtAl₂ phases. The concentration profiles proved that both Pt and Pd contents decrease gradually inwards the modified coatings. Cyclic oxidation tests at 1100 °C proved that Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings exhibit the best performance under cyclic conditions. The analysis of oxidation kinetics curves showed that the course of simple aluminide coating's oxidation is slightly different from that of Pt- and Pt/Pd-modified aluminide coatings.     

Preparation and cyclic oxidation of gradient NiCrAlYRe coatings on Ni-based superalloys

Arc ion plating (AIP) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) aluminizing were combined together to produce a gradient NiCrAlYRe coating. Elements in this coating were chemically graded with Al enrichment in the outer zone and Cr enrichment in the intermediate zone. Cyclic oxidation tests were performed at 1100 °C for up to 22 cycles. The results showed that the gradient NiCrAlYRe coatings performed better resistance to spallation and Al depletion than the conventional NiCrAlYRe coatings. This favorable oxidation behavior was attributed to the high Al distribution in the near surface region of the gradient coating.     

The Main Degradation Modes of an Aluminide Coating on a Co-Base Superalloy During High-Temperature Oxidation in Air

Degradation of aluminide coatings occurs by two ways, one by coating oxidation, and the other by interdiffusion of Al. In this paper, the structure variation and phase transformation are analyzed for the aluminide coating on a newly developed Co-base superalloy (DZ40M alloy) after oxidation at 900 and 1000°C in air. The results show that degradation of this coating was mainly by oxidation at 900°C, but principally by interdiffusion at 1000°C. The main degradation mode of the coating is primarily dependent on the oxidation temperature and the specific structure of the coating itself.     

Structure of Al-modified silicide coatings on an Nb-based ultrahigh temperature alloy prepared by pack cementation techniques

In order to prepare Al-modified silicide coatings on an Nb-based ultrahigh temperature alloy, both a two-stage pack cementation technique and a co-deposition pack cementation technique were employed. The two-stage process included siliconizing a specimen at 1150 °C for 4 h followed by aluminizing it at 800-1000 °C for 4 h. The coating prepared by pack siliconization was composed of a thick (Nb,X)Si₂ (X represents Ti, Cr and Hf elements) outer layer and a thin (Nb,X)₅Si₃ transitional layer; after the siliconized specimens were aluminized at or above 860 °C, a (Nb,Ti)₃Si₅Al₂ phase developed at the surface of the coating, and furthermore, when aluminizing was carried out at 860 °C, a new (Nb,Ti)₂Al layer formed in the coating between the (Nb,X)₅Si₃ layer and the substrate, but when aluminizing was performed at 900-1000 °C, the new layer formed was (Nb,Ti)Al₃. The co-deposition process was carried out by co-depositing Si and Al on specimens at 1000-1150 °C for 8 h under different pack compositions, and it was found that the structure of co-deposition coatings was more evidently affected by co-deposition temperature than pack composition. An Al-modified silicide coating with an outer layer composed of (Nb,Ti)₃Si₅Al₂, (Nb,X)Si₂ and (Nb,Ti)Al₃ was obtained by co-depositing Si and Al at 1050 °C.     

Experimental and ab-initio study of the Zr- and Cr-enriched aluminide layer produced on an IN 713C Inconel substrate by CVD; investigations of the layer morphology,structural stability,mechanical properties,and corrosion resistance

The paper discusses the effect of zirconium and chromium on the microstructure and properties of the aluminide layers produced on an Inconel 713C nickel superalloy substrate. The aluminizing process was conducted using the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method in AlCl₃ + ZrCl₃ vapors and a hydrogen atmosphere as the carrier gas. This low-activity aluminizing process yielded a diffusive multi-component aluminide layer composed of three main zones: the outer zone, about 3 μm thick, chiefly built of AlNi₂Zr, Ni₃Zr and Al₃Zr₄, the intermediate zone, about 6 μm thick, containing the β-NiAl phase, and the inner zone, with a thickness of about 7 μm, mostly composed of the Cr₂Al and β-NiAl grains. The substrate contained semi-coherent γ′-phases (Ni₃Al) separated from the γ-austenite matrix by a dislocation net. DFT calculations have shown that Cr added to β-NiAl markedly increases the elastic constant C11 and the isotropic shear modulus G, whereas the addition of Zr decreases the C44 component. Moreover, zirconium added to β-NiAl increases its plasticity thanks to the formation of wide-spread metallic ZrNi bonds. It has been found that the Zr + Cr-modified aluminide layer formed on the Inconel 713C nickel superalloy improves its corrosion resistance (as measured in a 0.1 M Na₂SO₄ solution).     

Microstructures and cyclic oxidation behaviour of Pt-free and low-Pt NiAl coatings on the Ni-base superalloy Rene-80

Aluminizing of bare and 3 μm-Pt-electroplated specimens has been utilised to prepare NiAl and low platinum (Ni,Pt)Al coatings. Cyclic oxidation of the coatings was investigated by exposing samples to 1 h cyclic oxidation at 1100 °C. The modified coating exhibited an external layer of NiAl-25 vol.% PtAl₂ above a three-zone structure. This structure endured over the whole testing time, while the NiAl coating failed after 77 cycles. The (Ni,Pt)Al coating did not reduce the scale growth rate, but it improved scale adhesion. In addition, Pt limited the outward diffusion of Ti from substrate and hence prohibited formation of undesirable TiO₂.     

Microstructure and high temperature oxidation behavior of hot-dip aluminized coating on high silicon ductile iron

High silicon ductile iron was coated by hot-dipping into an Al molten bath. The oxidation behavior of the aluminized alloy and the bare substrate was studied in air at 750 °C. The results showed that the coating layers consisted of three layers, in the sequence of Al, Fe-Al intermetallic and Si pile-up layers from the external topcoat to the substrate. The intermetallic layer was composed of outer FeAl₃ and inner Fe₂Al₅. The outer rod-shaped FeAl₃ dispersed in the aluminum topcoat, while the inner tongue-like Fe₂Al₅ formed in the metallic layer becoming the major phase in the aluminide coating layer. Those three layers of aluminum, Fe₂Al₅ and silicon pile-up layer exhibited hardness of HV 50, HV 1100 and HV 450, respectively. In this study, when the as-coated specimens were examined, Fe-Al-Si compounds could not be found. But the silicon pile-up at the interface between the substrate and the Fe-Al intermetallic layer could be seen in all the as-coated specimens. The graphite nodules were noticed in the substrate. The presence of graphite nodules in the substrate might be markers of hot-dipping. After hot-dipping in Al all the specimens contained graphite nodules in the aluminide layer.The oxidized graphite nodules resulted in cracks propagating in aluminide coating. Even though graphite nodules meant the existence of crack in the aluminide coating, the high temperature oxidation experiments indicated that the aluminide coating could prevent the oxidation of substrate effectively even at 750 °C.     

Hybrid intermetallic Ru/Pt-modified bond coatings for thermal barrier systems

NiAl-based bond coatings for thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems containing varying amounts of Ru and Pt have been investigated. The addition of Ru to bulk NiAl has shown substantial increases in the creep strength of these aluminide materials, while Pt-modifications are known to improve the oxidation resistance of NiAl. The oxidation and interdiffusion behavior of these hybrid Ru/Pt bond coat systems are compared to conventional Pt-modified aluminide bond coats. The Ru/Pt-modified aluminide bond coats demonstrate cyclic oxidation lives comparable to those of Pt-modified aluminide bond coatings. These hybrid Ru/Pt-modified bond coats exhibit better creep properties than traditional Pt-modified coatings and suppress the rumpling mechanism typically responsible for the spallation of TBC from Ni(Pt)Al bond coatings. The evolution of coating microstructures at various stages of cyclic life was studied, and phase equilibria issues relevant to the fabrication and oxidation behavior of these multilayer systems are discussed.     

Cyclic oxidation and interdiffusion behavior of a NiAlDy/RuNiAl coating on a Ni-based single crystal superalloy

A novel NiAlDy/RuNiAl coating was deposited onto a Ni-based single crystal superalloy DD3. The cyclic oxidation and interdiffusion of the NiAlDy/RuNiAl coating and a NiAlDy coating at 1100 °C were investigated. For the NiAlDy coating, secondary reaction zone (SRZ) consisting of γ′, γ and σ-topologically-closed-packed phase (σ-TCP) needles was formed in the superalloy after 100 h annealing. The NiAlDy/RuNiAl coating effectively suppressed the formation of SRZ as the RuNiAl layer worked as a buffer layer. Premature scale spallation was observed on the NiAlDy coating after about 80 h cyclic oxidation, whereas the NiAlDy/RuNiAl coating exhibited improved oxidation-resistance property.     

Effect of Pt and Al content on the long-term, high temperature oxidation behavior and interdiffusion of a Pt-modified aluminide coating deposited on Ni-base superalloys

The present work is devoted to the effect of Al and Pt content on the oxidation behavior and interdiffusion of the industrial NiPtAl coating RT22 deposited on SCB and IN792 Ni-base superalloys. Some specimens of RT22/SCB experienced a defective aluminization resulting in one side with a lower Al content, and some specimens of RT22/IN792 had less platinum than the specification. The effect of both Pt and Al on the initial microstructure of the coating is discussed. Isothermal oxidation tests for 100 h and long-term cyclic oxidation/interdiffusion tests at 1050 °C were performed (up to 51 cycles of 300 h). It is shown that a 50 μm coating with 30 at.% Al instead of a nominal 70 μm coating with 52 at.% Al leads to the full transformation of the β phase after 6 × 300 h at 1050 °C and to the formation of large voids and spinel oxides after 35 × 300 h, but also to less surface undulations than the standard coating. A lower Pt concentration in the RT22 coating results in lower aluminization kinetics and increased spalling and Al consumption during long-term cyclic oxidation without decreasing the isothermal oxidation kinetics.     

Cyclic oxidation and mechanical behaviour of slurry aluminide coatings for steam turbine components

The excellent steam oxidation resistance of iron aluminide coatings on ferritic steels at 650 °C has been demonstrated both by laboratory tests and field exposure. These coatings are formed by the application of an Al slurry followed by diffusion heat treatment at 700 °C for 10 h. The resulting microstructure is mostly composed of Fe₂Al₅ on top of a much thinner FeAl layer. This coating exhibits perpendicular cracks due to thermal expansion mismatch between coating and substrate. However, these stress relieving cracks do not seem to have an effect on the mechanical properties of the substrate. Cyclic oxidation, creep resistance and TMF testing of these coatings at 650 °C indicate excellent performance.     

Effect of Hf and Y alloy additions on aluminide coating performance

Iron- and Ni-base alloys, with and without Hf or Hf and Y alloy additions, were aluminized by chemical vapor deposition to study the potential for minor alloy additions to improve oxidation resistance of coated alloys. Compared to uncoated specimens, the coated specimens showed improved cyclic oxidation resistance at 1100° and 1150 °C. However, alumina scale spallation was observed at relatively short times and, particularly for the Ni-base alloy X, the aluminized lab-cast alloy with Hf tended to have poor coating performance compared to the commercial alloy without Hf. Internal oxidation of Hf at 1150 °C and rapid Al depletion in the relatively thin aluminide coatings contributed to the observed detrimental Hf effect. For the Ni-base alloys, the increased scale spallation could be attributed to much higher S contents (10-50 ppma) in the laboratory-cast alloys. Oxide scale spallation from the coating surface was minimized when Hf and Y were added to a casting and the [Y]/[S] content ratio was ∼ 1.     

Synthesis and oxidation behavior of platinum-enriched γ + γ′ bond coatings on Ni-based superalloys

Simple Pt-enriched γ + γ′ coatings were synthesized on René 142 and René N5 Ni-based superalloys by electroplating a thin layer of Pt followed by a diffusion treatment at 1150-1175 °C. The Al content in the resulting γ + γ′ coating was in the range of 16-19 at.% on superalloys with 13-14 at.% Al. After oxidation testing, alumina scale adherence to these γ + γ′ coatings was not as uniform as to the β-(Ni,Pt)Al coatings on the same superalloy substrates. To better understand the effect of Al, Pt and Hf concentrations on coating oxidation resistance, a number of Ni-Pt-Al cast alloys with γ + γ′ or β phase were cyclically oxidized at 1100 °C. The Hf-containing γ + γ′ alloys with 22 at.% Al and 10-30 at.% Pt exhibited similar oxidation resistance to the β alloys with 50 at.% Al. An initial effort was made to increase the Al content in the Pt-enriched γ + γ′ coatings by introducing a short-term aluminizing process via chemical vapor deposition or pack cementation. However, too much Al was deposited, leading to the formation of β or martensitic phase on the coating surface.     

Microstructural Study on Oxidation Resistance of Nonmodified and Platinum Modified Aluminide Coating

Platinum electroplating layers (3 and 7 μm thick) were deposited on the surface of the Inconel 713 LC, CMSX 4, and Inconel 625 Ni-base superalloys. Diffusion treatment at 1050°C for 2 h under argon atmosphere was performed after electroplating. Diffusion treated samples were aluminized according to the low activity CVD process at 1050°C for 8 h. The nonmodified aluminide coatings consist of NiAl phase. Platinum modification let to obtain the (Ni,Pt)Al phase in coatings. The coated samples were subjected to cyclic oxidation testing at 1100°C. It was discovered that increase of the platinum electroplating thickness from 3 to 7 μm provides the improvement of oxidation resistance of aluminide coatings. Increase of the platinum thickness causes decreases in weight change and decreases in parabolic constant during oxidation. The platinum provides the pure Al₂O₃ oxide formation, slow growth oxide layer, and delay the oxide spalling during heating-cooling thermal cycles.     

Cyclic oxidation of high temperature coatings on new γ′-strengthened cobalt-based alloys

An emerging class of cobalt-based γ′-strengthened alloys promises higher temperature capabilities compared to current Ni-base superalloys commonly used in aerospace and power generation applications. As with Ni-base alloys, high temperature coatings that enhance environmental resistance are desirable. Single crystal samples of Co–9.2Al–9.0W and Co–7.8Al–7.8W–4.5Cr–2.0Ta (at.%) were coated with vapour phase nickel aluminide and MCrAlY. Samples were subjected to cyclic oxidation at 1100 °C with 300–450 1-h cycles. Compared to NiAl-based coatings, the MCrAlY coatings exhibited superior adherence and an interdiffusion zone free of detrimental intermetallic phases. Evolution of microstructure during cycling is discussed with reference to the available thermodynamic data.     

High temperature behaviour of NiCrAlY coatings made by laser cladding

The oxidation behaviour of NiCrAlY coatings made by laser cladding on Hastelloy X is presented in this study. Laser cladding is an alternative method to thermal spraying for the production of bond coats. Comparable dense layers with approximately zero porosity should improve the oxidation behaviour. The oxidation behaviour of the coated specimens was assessed by air furnace oxidation tests at 1100 °C for up to 450 h. The coatings were analysed by means of light and electron microscopy techniques, microprobe analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. The analysis was performed before and after the oxidation tests. The as-clad coating had a columnar dendritic structure and it did not show the presence of the relevant defects. After the oxidation tests an oxide scale was present which consisted of two distinct layers. The layers consisted of an outer layer of mixed spinel-type oxides and an inner continuous layer, in which alumina was present. The obtained results suggested that up to 450 h the system was able to form a continuous alumina layer that could protect the substrate from oxygen diffusion.