The cyclic oxidation behavior and kinetics of W-Cr-Nb-Y2O3 alloys processed by powder metallurgy route

In the present investigation, yttria (Y2O3) has been added to the W-Cr-Nb alloys to study the cyclic oxidation behavior of on W-Cr-Nb- Y2O3 alloys processed by the powder metallurgy route. The cyclic oxidation tests are performed at 800 °C, 1000 °C, and 1200 °C for 15 h in the air. The oxidation kinetic analysis and implementation of a double Voigt function to calculate the domain size (crystallite size) and microstrain are also investigated. The results show that the cyclic oxidation tests on the sintered W-Cr-Nb-Y2O3 samples have exhibited that [(W0.5Cr0.5)90Nb10]98 - (Y2O3)2 alloy is marginally more oxidation resistant than [(W0.7Cr0.3)90Nb10]98 - (Y2O3)2 alloy at temperatures 800 °C and 1000 °C. In contrast, the [(W0.7Cr0.3)90Nb10]98 - (Y2O3)2 composite shows more oxidation resistance than [(W0.5Cr0.5)90Nb10]98 - (Y2O3)2 composite at temperature 1200 °C, apparently due to the formation of a large number of protective oxides like Cr2WO6, 2NbO5.7WO3 and Y2WO6, and absence of WO3 oxide on the former composite at 1200 °C in air. The values of oxidation exponent n ≈ 2 obtained for the oxidation tests on the [(W0.5Cr0.5)90Nb10]98 - (Y2O3)2 indicate that approximately parabolic rate law is being followed in the range of 800–1200 °C. In the case of [(W0.7Cr0.3)90Nb10]98 -(Y2O3)2 alloy (1 < n < 2) indicates that the rate of oxidation is faster than that predicted by the parabolic rate law but slower than that expected from the linear relationship between mass change per unit area (Δm/S) and time (t).