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Comparison of the Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of As-Cast Cu–17%Cr and Cu–17%Cr–5%Al. Part II: Scale Microstructures

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Abstract

The isothermal oxidation kinetics of as-cast Cu–17%Cr and Cu–17%Cr–5%Al in air were studied between 773 and 1,173 K under atmospheric pressure. Details of the oxidation kinetics of these alloys were discussed in Part I. This paper analyzes the microstructures of the scale and its composition in an attempt to elucidate the oxidation mechanisms in these alloys. The scales formed on Cu–17%Cr specimens oxidized between 773 and 973 K consisted of external CuO and subsurface Cu2O layers. The total thickness of these scales varied from about 10 μm at 773 K to about 450 μm at 973 K. In contrast, thin scales formed on Cu–17%Cr–5%Al alloys oxidized between 773 and 1,173 K. The exact nature of these scales could not be determined by X-ray diffraction but energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses were used to construct a scale composition map. Phenomenological oxidation mechanisms are proposed for the two alloys.

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Notes

  1. All compositions reported in the paper are in wt.% unless otherwise noted.

  2. Specimens were coated with carbon prior to the FESEM, BSE and EDS observations. Thus, carbon peaks were observed in the EDS results.

  3. The X-ray dot maps show that the particle at the bottom of Fig. 11a was deficient in Al, Cr, Cu and Si but rich in O. It is concluded that the particle is a contaminant from the alloy preparation process.

  4. Although the Cr Lα and O Kα peaks overlap, the peak identifications shown in Fig. 12c–f denote only the strongest likely contributor. The source of Si in the spectra is probably due to residual colloidal silica left over from the metallographic preparation process.

  5. The (Al, Cr, Cu)2O rather than (Al, Cr, Cu)O is used since earlier research on pure Cu suggests that Cu2O is more likely to form than CuO with increasing temperature and decreasing pressure of oxygen [4, 6].

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks Ms. Joy Buehler for metallographic preparation of the specimens, Mr. Terry McCue for conducting the SEM observations and EDS analyses and the late Mr. Ralph Garlick for conducting X-ray diffraction analyses of the oxidized specimens. The author also thanks the reviewer for his valuable suggestions and comments.

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  1. NASA Glenn Research Center, MS 106-5, 21000 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, OH, 44135, USA

    S. V. Raj

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Raj, S.V. Comparison of the Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of As-Cast Cu–17%Cr and Cu–17%Cr–5%Al. Part II: Scale Microstructures. Oxid Met 70, 103–119 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-008-9104-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11085-008-9104-3

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