Effect of Y 2O 3 crucible on contamination of directionally solidified intermetallic Ti–46Al–8Nb alloy

Abstract

The effect of Y 2O 3 crucible on contamination of Ti–46Al–8Nb (at.%) alloy directionally solidified (DS) in a Bridgman-type apparatus was studied. Directional solidification experiments were performed in dense Y 2O 3 crucibles using different growth rates, melt temperatures and various reaction time between the melt and the crucible. The main mechanism responsible for the contamination of the DS samples is diffusion controlled dissolution of the Y 2O 3 crucible in the melt which leads to an increase of oxygen and yttrium content in γ(TiAl) + α 2(Ti 3Al) matrix and precipitation of non-metallic particles in interdendritic region. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) showed that these particles are Y 2O 3 phase. The oxygen content and volume fraction of Y 2O 3 particles increase with increasing melt temperature and reaction time. The activation energy for increase of oxygen content is calculated to be Q O = 412.1 kJ/mol and the kinetics of this process is suggested to be controlled by long-range diffusion with the oxygen content exponent of 3. The activation energy for Y 2O 3 particle formation is calculated to be Q Y = 421.8 kJ/mol and the time exponent is determined to be m = 0.55. Vickers microhardness measurements in lamellar γ + α 2 matrix without Y 2O 3 particles can be used as an indirect evidence of the level of contamination of DS samples with statistically identical α 2–α 2 interlamellar spacing.