Comparative study of oxidation kinetics for pure nickel oxidized under tensile and compressive stress

The growth of oxide scales on pure nickel oxidized under tensile and compressive stress at 973 K was investigated. The objective was to understand the effect of mechanical loading on the oxidation kinetics. The oxidation kinetics curves gained by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicate that the oxidation rate of pure nickel was accelerated by the external stress. Compared with the tensile stress, the effect of compressive stress on the oxidation kinetics was more pronounced. Surface morphologies examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveal that granular oxides formed on the stressed specimen, which increase the short-circuit diffusion.