The prediction of breakaway oxidation for alumina forming ODS alloys using oxidation diagrams

Abstract The oxidation induced loss in wall thickness of alumina forming high temperature alloys is in most cases not a limiting factor for component life because of the slow growth rates of the alumina surface scales. However, scale growth and repealing after spalling lead to depletion of the scale forming element, aluminium, in the bulk alloy. If, during long time service at high temperatures, the concentration of aluminium has decreased beneath a critical level, the protective alumina scale can no longer be formed and oxidation of the base elements Fe, Ni or Co occurs, leading to a catastrophic breakaway oxidation of the component. A model is presented which allows the calculation of the time at which this breakaway occurs using FeCrAl based ODS alloys as an example. The parameters which are necessary for the calculations, such as scale growth rates, scale spalling und bulk aluminium diffusion can be determined from relatively short time laboratory experiments. The calculated und measured results for the commercial ODS alloys ODM 751, PM 2000 und MA 956 at 11.00 und 1200°C are presented in form of Oxidation Diagrams in which the time to breakaway oxidation is plotted as a function of component wall thickness. On the basis of the theoretical considerations possible measures for increasing the oxidation limited life of the mentioned alumina forming alloys are discussed.