The oxidation behaviour of alloys based on the Ni–Co–Al–Ti–Cr system

The isothermal oxidation behaviour of a series of quinary Ni–Co–Al–Ti–Cr alloys were studied at 800 °C. Alloys with higher Cr concentrations exhibited lower mass gain after 100-h exposure, as did the alloys richest in Ni and Al for a given Cr concentration. Extensive internal oxidation and nitridation was also observed in all alloys, except those containing the highest concentrations of Ni and Al. All alloys studied generated continuous chromium oxide layers, beneath which alumina particles were observed. Compositional analysis of the subscales identified shallower Cr concentration gradients in alloys containing equiatomic levels of Ni and Co, suggesting increased availability of Cr in the alloy. Thermodynamic calculations confirmed that these alloys contained higher concentrations of Cr in their γ matrices as a result of a combination of both the elemental partitioning behaviour and the increased mole fraction of γ′ precipitates forming in the alloy.