THE OXIDATION BEHAVIOR OF NIOBIUM CONTAINING GAMMA-TIAL BASED INTERMETALLICS IN AIR AND ARGON/OXYGEN

The oxidation behaviour of gamma-TiAl based alloys with different Nb contents (2-10 At. %) was investigated in air and in argon-20 % oxygen at 900 degrees C using thermogravimetric analysis. The oxide scales were characterized by a combination of optical microscopy, SEM/EDX and X-ray diffraction analyses. Although in all studied cases the presence of niobium improves the oxidation resistance of gamma-TiAl, the oxidation kinetics, scale morphology and composition in air differed strongly from that in argon-oxygen. In air the oxidation resistance increases with increasing niobium-content. In Ar/O-2 the niobium dependence is far more complex because internal oxidation occurs which is favoured by the presence of niobium. SNMS analysis revealed that the differences in behaviour in the two atmospheres are related to the formation of Ti-rich nitride at the scale/alloy interface during air oxidation. The positive effect of niobium on the oxidation resistance of gamma-TiAl is mainly caused by a decrease of the transport processes in the heterogeneous TiO2/Al2O3-surface scale. Nitride formation and/or niobium enrichment at the scale/alloy interface also affect the oxidation behaviour, however these factors are believed to be the result of the decreased transport processes rather than the main reason for the niobium effect.