Oxidation and Corrosion of New MCrAlX Coatings Modelling and Experiments

Sammanfattning: MCrAlY coatings (“M” for Ni and/or Co) are widely used for the protection of superalloy components operated at high temperatures such as in the hot sections of gas turbines. The exposure to high temperature can cause coating degradation due to oxidation or hot corrosion at the coating surface. Microstructures in the coating and the coating life are affected also by the diffusion of alloying elements through the coating-superalloy interface. This PhD project, by applying thermodynamic modelling and experimental tests, investigates the oxidation and hot corrosion behavior of new MCrAlX coatings, in which X, referring to minor elements, is used to highlight the functions of such elements.In order to understand and predict the coating degradation progress during thermal exposure, an oxidation-diffusion model has been established for MCrAlX coating-superalloy systems, which integrates the oxidation of aluminum at coating surface, diffusion of alloying elements, and the diffusion-blocking effect in the materials. The predicted chemical composition profile and microstructure agreed well with experimental results in a CoNiCrAlYSiTa-Inconel 792 system. The model was further applied in several coating-superalloy systems to study the influence of coating composition, superalloy composition and temperature on the evolution of microstructure in the coating and the coating life. The results have demonstrated the potential of the model in designing new durable MCrAlX coatings. In addition to the applications in coating-superalloy systems, the model was also adapted for studying the microstructural development in a superalloy in which internal oxidation and nitridation occurred in an oxidation process.The oxidation behavior of some HVOF MCrAlX coatings was studied by thermal exposure at different temperatures (900, 1000, 1100 °C). Different spinels formed above the alumina scale, depending on the oxidation temperature. The minor alloying elements, Ru and Ir, had no direct influence on the oxidation behavior but may affect the phase stability in the coating.MCrAlX coatings were also tested in 48-hour cycles at 900 °C in different hot corrosion environments containing sulphates and/or SO2. The results showed that the coating performance was dependent on coating quality, concentration of Al and Cr in the coating, and the hot corrosion condition. It was also found that the addition of SO2 in the environment may not necessarily be bad for hot corrosion resistance of some MCrAlY coatings.