Effect of boron on isothermal oxidation behavior of a nickel-base superalloy with high Al and Ti contents

Abstract

The influence of boron on the oxidation resistance of conventionally cast U720Li alloy was investigated at 1130 °C and analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). It has been found that the boron-undoped and -doped alloys all obey a super-parabolic rate law, but the oxidation rate is obviously increased by the boron addition. These alloys all show non-uniform oxidation between dendritic and interdendritic areas due to the serious microsegregation, while the oxide scale morphology of the high-boron alloy is quite different from that of the boron-undoped alloy. For boron-doped alloys, in the initial stage of oxidation the outward diffusion of boron from borides formed in the interdendritic region results in the formation of discontinuous and non-uniform B-rich oxide layers beneath and inside the Cr2O3 layer, while as the oxidation proceeds further boron can also transfer from the B-rich oxide to outer layers which eventually leads to disappearance of the B-rich oxide layers. The formation of B-rich oxide layers destroys the continuity of Cr2O3 layer and decomposition of B-rich oxide layers makes Cr2O3 layer more porous, which significantly reduce the protective property of the Cr2O3 layer and in turn decrease the oxidation resistance. Moreover, the eutectic (γ + γ′) highly enriched in Ti, Al is prone to be oxidized and form a thicker scale than the other regions, and hence the significant increase of its precipitation with boron addition also contributes to increasing the oxidation rate.