Sang Whan Park

The effect of Si3N4 additions on the oxidation resistance of TiAl alloys

The oxidation kinetics of TiAl alloys with and without 3 and 5 wt.%additions of Si3N4 particles were studied at 1173 and1273 K in 1 atm of air. The Si3N4 dispersions wereunstable in the matrix phase, so that some of them reacted with titaniumduring sintering to form Ti5Si3 and dissolvednitrogen. The oxide scale formed on TiAl–Si3N4alloys consisted of an outer TiO2, an intermediate(Al2O3+TiO2), and an inner(TiO2+Al2O3) mixed layers. The enhancedalumina-forming tendency, the presence of discrete SiO2 particlesbelow the outer TiO2 layer, and the improved scale adhesion bySi3N4 dispersions were attributable mainly to theincreased oxidation resistance compared to the Si3N4-freeTiAl alloys. Marker experiments showed that, for TiAl–Si3N4 alloys, the primary mode of scale growth was the outward diffusion oftitanium ions for the outer scale and the inward transport of oxygen ionsfor the inner scale.