TY - CONF A1 - Lehmusto, Juho T1 - Initial oxidation of the refractory high-entropy superalloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr N2 - In contrast to traditional alloys, which are typically based on a single dominant element, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) consist of five or more principal elements in roughly equal proportions. These complex alloys often exhibit superior characteristics compared to conventional alloys, including enhanced strength and hardness, exceptional wear resistance, high structural stability, and strong resistance to oxidation. Despite these promising characteristics, the vast compositional space of HEAs means that only a limited number have been thoroughly investigated for their mechanical and chemical behavior. One notable example is the refractory high-entropy superalloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr, which represents a newly emerging class of materials. This alloy features a nanoscale microstructure composed of B2 and bcc phases, resulting in compressive strength at elevated temperatures that surpasses that of conventional Ni-based superalloys. Such performance offers potential benefits for improving turbine efficiency in aerospace and energy generation applications. However, the alloy’s microstructure is known to be sensitive to annealing. Specifically, its mechanical properties deteriorate when intragranular hexagonal Al-Zr-based intermetallic compounds form, likely due to issues with phase stability. On the other hand, the inclusion of Al has been shown to enhance oxidation resistance. Nevertheless, HEAs are also known to develop pronounced internal aging zones caused by diffusion during oxidation processes. These findings indicate a need for further investigation into the thermodynamic stability of this alloy. In addition, its oxidation behavior—both at the surface and within the material—remains incompletely understood. This ongoing research explores the oxidation behavior of the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy at temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 1000 °C. The influence of water vapor on the oxidation process is also examined. Ultimately, the goal is to integrate insights into the alloy’s structural, mechanical, and chemical characteristics at high temperatures. T2 - Gordon Research Conference - High Temperature Corrosion CY - New London, United States DA - 16.07.2023 KW - High-Entropy superalloy KW - Phase stability KW - Microstructural evolution KW - Oxidation behavior KW - High-Temperature Performance PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-63851 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Lehmusto, Juho T1 - The effect of humidity on the initial oxidation of the refractory high-entropy superalloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr N2 - Unlike conventional alloys, which typically consist of one main element, high-entropy alloys (HEAs) contain five or more principal elements. When compared with conventional alloys, HEAs may possess desirable properties such as improved strength/hardness, remarkable wear resistance, high structural stability, and notable oxidation resistance. However, due to the numerous possibilities of alloy composition, only a small fraction of HEAs has been characterized in terms of their mechanical and chemical properties. A refractory high-entropy superalloy AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr, with its superalloy-like microstructure, belongs to the first group of a subclass of such Al-containing refractory HEAs that has recently drawn attention. The alloy has a nanoscale microstructure consisting of B2 and bcc phases, enabling high-temperature compressive strengths beyond conventional Ni-based alloys. This feature could improve turbine efficiency in the aerospace and power production industries. However, the microstructure has been reported to be sensitive to heat treatment after which it loses mechanical performance when the intragranular hexagonal Al-Zr-based intermetallic forms. This might be connected with the phase stability in the material. Then again, the addition of Al has been reported to improve the oxidation resistance of the material, but also that HEA materials tend to show pronounced zones of internal aging caused by diffusion during oxidation. These previous results imply that further research on the thermodynamic stability of the alloy is required. Furthermore, the oxidation behavior (both external and internal) and the role of humidity in the process are not fully understood. With such a multi-component material, the grain boundaries are expected to play a key role in the oxidation process, serving as short-circuit pathways for diffusion. To shed more light on the oxidation behavior of the AlMo0.5NbTa0.5TiZr alloy, experiments were carried out for 24 hours at 800 °C under both dry (21% O2 + 79% N2) and humid (8% O2 + 74% N2 + 18% H2O) atmospheres. After the experiments, the samples were characterized with XRD, SEM-EDS, and EPMA. The alloy oxidized rapidly under both studied atmospheres, resulting in a visibly oxidized region with a thickness of around 1.5 microns (dry) and 3.8 microns (humid). The porosity of the oxidized regions differs from one another: a thin layer of pores was detected in the outermost part of the oxidized zone under dry conditions, whereas the pores were distributed throughout the oxidized zone under humid conditions. Furthermore, the presence of humidity affected the phase formation. The grain boundaries, while still recognizable, differed visually from the grains in the as-received material, indicating the active role of grain boundaries during the oxidation. In addition, in the exposed samples, cracks along the grain boundaries were detected. Interestingly, cracks were also located within the grains. This could originate from the diffusion of species from the grains to the grain boundaries, which has changed the composition of grains. As a consequence, cracks formed most likely during cooling due to the Pilling-Bedworth effect. The formation of cracks suggested that the macro-scale homogeneity of the material may change during operation at high temperatures due to the active grain boundaries. T2 - High Temperature Corrosion and Oxidation 2023 Workshop CY - Marktheidenfeld, Germany DA - 25.09.2023 KW - High-Entropy superalloy KW - Oxidation behavior KW - Grain boundaries KW - Microstructure Evolution KW - High-Temperature Performance PY - 2023 AN - OPUS4-63850 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stephan-Scherb, Christiane A1 - Lehmusto, Juho A1 - Falk, Florian A1 - Sobol, Oded A1 - Pint, Bruce T1 - Comprehensive insights into competitive oxidation/sulfidation reactions on binary ferritic alloys at high temperatures N2 - Interpreting high-temperature corrosion induced by mixed-gas atmospheres is challenging due to the different contributions of oxidizing gases. Here, a comprehensive study on the combined oxidation/sulfidation using label molecules is presented. Fe-Cr model alloys with 2 wt% and 9 wt% Cr were isothermally exposed using a volumetric mixture of 0.5%S16O2/27%H218O and 0.5%S16O2/7%H218O at 650 ◦C for 5 h and then characterized by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). Additionally, the reactions were followed in-situ utilizing energy dispersive X-ray diffraction. The study showed that both S16O2 and H218O contribute to the oxidation of the alloys but to different extents depending on the Cr-content. KW - SEM KW - Steel KW - Iron KW - SIMS PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2022.110236 SN - 0010-938X VL - 203 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Elsevier Ltd. AN - OPUS4-58992 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -