Experimental investigation on the corrosion behavior of Al3Ti-based intermetallic compounds in nuclear reactor normal operation conditions

Abstract The corrosion behavior of Al 3 Ti-based intermetallic compounds was investigated under nuclear reactor normal operation conditions. The corrosion test was performed for Al–25Ti–10Cr and Al–21Ti–23Cr (at.%) in 633 K water and 673 K steam. The corroded surface was analyzed to identify the corrosion products. Both alloys showed a weight loss in 633 K water with no appreciable difference between the alloys. The corroded layer formed in water was shown to be the mixture of AlO(OH), TiO 2 , and Cr 2 O 3 . In 673 K steam, the corrosion behaviors of both alloys were similar with a small amount of weight gain. A thin, stable Al 2 O 3 layer was formed on the surface as result of oxidation in 673 K steam.