Investigating the High Temperature Oxidation Behavior of TiAl-Based Alloys with Nickel and Ruthenium Additions

Abstract

Pure powders of titanium, aluminium, nickel and ruthenium were mechanically alloyed and melted in a button arc furnace under an argon atmosphere to produce two alloys of composition Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni (at.%) and Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni-0.2Ru (at.%). The alloys were then cut and metallographically prepared. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to characterize the samples. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to analyze the oxidation behavior from room temperature up to 1050°C. The alloys were also oxidized in air at 1050°C for 120 hours. The Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni (at.%) alloy formed dendrites of γ-TiAl (55.6 at.% Al) surrounded by a eutectic of γ-TiAl + Al3NiTi2 (τ3) phases. The Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni-0.2Ru (at.%) alloy formed dendrites of γ-TiAl (53.6 at.% Al) surrounded by a eutectic of γ-TiAl + Al3NiTi2 (τ3). The ruthenium was mostly in solid solution (0.3 at.%) in the Al3NiTi2 (τ3) phase, although traces of it were present in the dendrites (0.1 at.% Ru). When oxidized in air from room temperature to 1050°C, the as-cast Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni-0.2Ru (at.%) had a mass gain of 0.60% and the as-cast Ti-52.5Al-10.0Ni (at.%) had a mass gain of 0.97%. Isothermal oxidation of both alloys at 1050°C for 120 hours formed mixed metal oxides of TiO2+Al2O3 on the surface.