Investigation of the effects of temperature and oxygen partial pressure on oxidation of zirconium carbide using different kinetics models

The oxidation kinetics of ZrC materials is an important physicochenmical property for their practical application. Although the oxidation data have been extensively measured, the quantitative relationship of oxidation curves to various factors such as temperature and oxygen pressure is still limited. In this article, the oxidation kinetics of ZrC materials under the conditions of different rate-controlling steps existing has been investigated using two kinds of models (the model used in the literatures and Chou's model) based on the experimental data available in the literatures. The calculated results show that both models can fit the oxidation data well. Compared with the previous models used in the literatures, Chou's model can give a clear physical meaning in expressing all parameters. The most important thing is that Chou's model can give a more accurate performance in the theoretical analysis. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.