Further aspects of the oxidation of binary two-phase alloys

The corrosion behavior of binary, two-phase alloys is considered in which the matrix contains mostly the less-noble metal that forms a fast-growing oxide, while the second phase is rich in a component that forms a more stable but slowly-growing oxide. It is assumed that the second phase exists as a dispersion of isolated, rod-like particles. It is further assumed that both phases form external films with no internal oxidation. It is shown that the oxidation behavior of this type of alloy depends on both the oxidation time and the size of the second-phase particles. In particular, for short oxidation times and large second-phase particles the matrix will oxidize faster than the dispersed phase, so that the dispersed particles will be only partly corroded or even incorporated into the matrix-oxide scale as unoxidized islands, forming an irregular alloy-scale interface. On the contrary, for long times and small particle sizes the two phases will tend to oxidize at approximately the same rate, leading to the formation of regular alloy-scale interfaces. The time for the transition between the two corrosion regimes depends not only on the ratio between the rate constants for the growth of the two oxides but also on the size of the dispersed-phase particles, smaller sizes producing shorter transition times. Eventually, under favorable conditions the formation of the fast-growing oxide may even stop, leading to the formation of a protective layer of the most-stable oxide.