Isothermal Oxidation Comparison of Three Ni-Based Superalloys

Ni-based superalloys are used for high-temperature components of gas turbines in both industrial and aerospace applications due to their ability to maintain dimensional stability under conditions of high stress and strain. The oxidation resistance of these alloys often dictates their service lifetime. This study focuses on the isothermal oxidation behavior of three Ni-based superalloys, namely, polycrystalline cast IN738LC, single-crystal N5, and a ternary Ni-Fe-Cr (TAS) powder metallurgy alloy. The isothermal oxidation tests were conducted at 900 °C in the static air up to 1000 h, and the specific aspects studied were the oxidation behavior of these chromia-forming and alumina-forming alloys that are used extensively in industry. In particular, the behavior of oxide scale growth and subsurface changes were analyzed in detail using various techniques such as SEM, EDS, and AFM. From the isothermal oxidation kinetics, the oxidation rate constant, k _p, was calculated for each alloy and found to be; k _p = 2.79 × 10^?6 mg² cm^?4 s^?1 for IN738LC, k _p = 1.42 × 10^?7 mg² cm^?4 s^?1 for N5 and k _p = 1.62 × 10^?7 mg² cm^?4 s^?1 for TAS. Based on a microstructural analysis, IN738LC exhibited a continuous dense outer scale of Cr₂O₃ and discontinuous inner scale of Al₂O₃, whereas N5 and TAS showed a dense outer scale of Al₂O₃ alone. The results suggested that the N5 and PM-TAS alloys are more oxidation resistant than the IN738LC under these conditions.