Oxidation Kinetics and Oxide Scale Characterization of Nickel-Based Superalloy IN738LC at 900 °C

The high-temperature isothermal oxidation behavior of the polycrystalline nickel-based superalloy IN738LC was investigated at 900 °C in air for up to 1000 h. The results from the tests suggest that the alloy showed single-stage parabolic oxidation behavior during isothermal oxidation. The oxidized samples were characterized using SEM and SEM/EDS, and the results show that the alloy is comprised of an outer dense chromia scale with titania proving Type II oxidation behavior. In addition, the formation of a spinel composition adjacent to the external layer and a discontinuous needle-shaped alumina scale in the alloy subsurface zone were also observed. The depletion of gamma prime (γ′) phase leads to a precipitate-free zone formation in the subscale zone. A JMatPro thermodynamic analysis showed that an increase in titanium content from 1 to 3.44 wt.% increased the chromium activity by 50%. Therefore, the results suggest that the presence of high amounts of titanium (~3.44 wt.%) in IN738LC increased the oxidation kinetics by increasing the chromium scale growth rate and resulting in an oxidation rate constant of 2.79 × 10−6 mg2 cm−4 s−1.