Oxidation Behaviour of Model Cobalt-Rhenium Alloys During Short-Term Exposure to Laboratory Air at Elevated Temperature

Abstract

The alloys being used in high-temperature systems such as stationary gas turbines and aircraft engines are iron-, cobalt- and nickel-based superalloys, amongst which the latter is the most widely used for highest temperatures. However, the use of Ni-based alloys is limited to temperatures below 1,100 °C. The experimental Co–Re-based alloys are promising for high-temperature applications for service temperatures beyond 1,200 °C. The purpose of the present investigations, at this still early stage of the alloy development, is to gain a first insight into the oxidation mechanisms and to find ways to improve oxidation resistance of this class of materials. Thermogravimetric studies in combination with microstructural examinations of six model Co–Re alloys with different compositions showed the negative influence of rhenium on the oxidation resistance of Co-based alloys due to evaporation of rhenium oxide(s). Oxidation at 1,000 °C in air yielded an oxide scale, that consists of a Co-oxide outer layer on a thick and porous Co–Cr oxide and a semicontinuous and therefore non-protective Cr-oxide film on the base metal substrate. This allowed for the vaporization of rhenium oxide formed during oxidation and hence led to a loss of Re. Computer-aided thermodynamic calculations were carried out to supplement the experimental analyses and were found to reasonably predict the stability ranges of the various oxide phases observed.