| Abstract: | The oxidation of cobalt-tantalum carbon alloys, containing 10 and 15 wt.% Ta and carbon in the range 0–1 wt%, was carried out in oxygen and air at atmospheric pressure at 900, 1000 and 1100°C. The alloys oxidised according to the parabolic rate law with activation energy of about 38 Kcal/mole. In general, the addition of tantalum decreases the oxidation rates, in comparison with cobalt and with the same mass of chromium added to cobalt. Again, the presence of carbon in the Co-Ta alloys decreases its oxidation rates in comparison with carbon-free alloys. The scales formed on Co-Ta and Co-Ta-C alloys consist mainly of an outer layer of cobalt oxide, CoO, and an inner porous layer of mixture of oxides: cobalt oxide; CoO, tantalum oxide; Ta2O5, and solid solution of these two oxides; CoTaO4 at all temperatures in the range of 900°-1100°C. The binary Co ?10% Ta and Co ?15% Ta show an internal oxidation along the internal phase, increasing of alloy tantalum content increases the density of the internal phase. The presence of carbon in the ternary Co-Ta-C alloys has little effect and there is no apparent preferential penetration along the tantalum carbide network. In contrast to carbide present in Co-Cr-C alloys, where these carbides were preferentially attacked, the outer scale was disrupted, due to the formation of carbon gaseous oxides. |
