Effects of Silicon on the Oxidation Behavior of Ni-Base Chromia-Forming Alloys

This paper compares and analyzes the oxidation behavior of Ni-base alloys with and without about 2.7 wt.% Si addition. The Ni-base alloys studied were of two types: cast model alloys or wrought commercial alloys. Oxidation testing was conducted at 1000°C in still air. The specific aspects studied were scale spallation resistance, nature by which the silicon oxidized, and the influence of silicon on the subsurface depletion behavior of chromium. From oxidation results of the cast model alloys, Si addition was found to improve oxidation resistance by forming a continuous SiO2 layer at the alloy/scale interface, which resulted in decreased oxidation kinetics. The cast alloys with Si addition also showed larger average effective interdiffusion coefficients of chromium compared to the cast alloys without Si addition. As a consequence, the Si addition assisted in the establishment and re-formation of a chromia scale during oxidation. In the case of the wrought commercial alloys, a discontinuous distribution of SiO2 precipitates in the vicinity of the alloy/scale interface was found to be beneficial to cyclic oxidation resistance.