An approximate analysis of the external oxidation of ternary alloys forming insoluble oxides. II: Low oxidant pressures

The construction and the properties of three-dimensional diagrams showing the regions of stability of the various compounds, which can form as a result of the oxidation of ideal ternary A-B-C alloys by a single oxidant at a constant temperature (kinetics diagrams) are examined for oxidant pressures insufficient to oxidize all possible alloys within the system (low oxidant pressures). For the calculation it is assumed that the various oxides do not dissolve into each other and do not form double oxides and that the alloy has an ideal behavior, while internal oxidation of the most-reactive components is disregarded. The range of meaningful oxidant pressures is divided into six intervals, which correspond to the formation of different types of scales. The simplified two-dimensional (2D) kinetics diagrams presented are obtained by projecting the appropriate three-dimensional (3D) lines of equilibrium between the alloy and the various oxides on the base triangle, which gives the composition of the system in terms of the three metal components only. The kinetics diagrams are correlated with the corresponding equilibrium phase diagrams for the same quaternary A-B-C-O systems.