The influence of superficially applied oxide powders on the high-temperature oxidation behavior of Cr2O3-forming alloys

The effects of superficially applied CeO₂, mixed rare earth oxides, Co₃O₄, and Cr₂O₃ powders on the isothermal and cyclic oxidation of Ni-Cr alloys and the effects of CeO₂ and MgO powders on the isothermal oxidation of Fe-25 wt.% Cr have been studied over the temperature range 940–1150°C in pure oxygen and dry air. The rates of oxidation of both the Ni- and Fe-base alloys were markedly reduced by the application of CeO₂ powder. The presence of CeO₂ also improved the scale adherence and resulted in marked changes in the oxidation morphology. The presence of Co₃O₄ or Cr₂O₃ powders on Ni-Cr alloys or MgO on Fe-Cr also produced changes in the oxidation morphology but did not decrease the rate of oxidation. These results are interpreted in terms of the influence of the oxide powders on the development of scale microstructure and their effectiveness in decreasing grain boundary transport in Cr₂O₃.This paper is based in part on the Ph.D. thesis of G. M. Ecer (1975) and in part on the M.S. thesis of R. B. Singh (1977).