Modelling of composition and phase changes in multiphase alloys due to growth of an oxide layer

A coupled thermodynamic–kinetic oxidation model is presented for the selective, external oxidation of the most reactive alloy constituent of a multicomponent multiphase alloy. The model computes the composition depth profiles of the alloy constituents in the alloy as well as the evolution in the phase fractions in the alloy as function of oxidation time. The applicability of the model is illustrated through several examples. For the isothermal and cyclic oxidation of single- and two-phase binary alloys excellent agreement was obtained between the numerical calculations and the corresponding analytical solutions. For the isothermal oxidation of two γ+β NiCrAl alloys with different initial volume fractions of the β phase, very good agreement was obtained between experimentally and calculated composition depth profiles. Finally, the effect of alloying additions on the phase evolution in the alloy was studied for the isothermal oxidation of freestanding MCrAlY (M = Ni, Co) coatings. It is shown that for a similar bulk Al and Cr content in the coating, the concentration profiles of Al in the coating after oxidation can be significantly affected by alloying with elements like Co, Ta and Re. Consequently, the multicomponent and multiphase character of the MCrAlY coating has to be taken into account when performing lifetime studies.