Development of an oxidation resistant glass–ceramic composite coating on Ti–47Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy

Abstract Three glass–ceramic composite coatings were prepared on Ti–47Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy by air spraying technique and subsequent firing. The aim of this work is to study the reactions between glass matrix and inclusions and their effects on the oxidation resistance of the glass–ceramic composite coating. The powders of alumina, quartz, or both were added into the aqueous solution of potassium silicate (ASPS) to form slurries used as the starting materials for the composite coatings. The coating formed from an ASPS-alumina slurry was porous, because the reaction between alumina and potassium silicate glass resulted in the formation of leucite (KAlSi 2 O 6 ), consuming substantive glass phase and hindering the densification of the composite coating. Cracks were observed in the coating prepared from an ASPS-quartz slurry due to the larger volume shrinkage of the coating than that of the alloy. In contrast, an intact and dense SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 -glass coating was successfully prepared from an ASPS-alumina–silica slurry. The oxidation behavior of the SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 -glass composite coating on Ti–47Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy was studied at 900 °C. The SiO 2 –Al 2 O 3 -glass composite coating acted as an oxygen diffusion barrier, and prevented the inward diffusion of the oxygen from the air to the coating/alloy interface, therefore, decreasing the oxidation rate of the Ti–47Al–2Cr–2Nb alloy significantly.