Experimental investigation on the corrosion behavior of Al3Ti-based intermetallic compounds in nuclear reactor normal operation conditions

The corrosion behavior of Al3Ti-based intermetallic compounds was investigated under nuclear reactor normal operation conditions. The corrosion test was performed for Al-25Ti-10Cr and Al-21Ti-23Cr (at.%) in 633 K water and 673 K steam. The corroded surface was analyzed to identify the corrosion products. Both alloys showed a weight loss in 633 K water with no appreciable difference between the alloys. The corroded layer formed in water was shown to be the mixture of AlO(OH), TiO2, and Cr2O3. In 673 K steam, the corrosion behaviors of both alloys were similar with a small amount of weight gain. A thin, stable Al2O3 layer was formed on the surface as result of oxidation in 673 K steam.