The oxidation behavior of nine titanium aluminide alloys has been studied in air under isothermal conditions at 870°C and under cyclic exposure conditions at 760°C and 870°C. The isothermal oxidation of engineering titanium aluminide alloys at 870°C reveals that the mass gain due to oxidation consists of three stages, that is; the first with a linear gain, the second with parabolic increase, and the third with linear gain. Increased oxidation resistance was observed with increasing
Nb content (up to 10 at%) in both isothermal and cyclic oxidation tests. This resulted from suppression of the growth of TiO2 and formation of a continuous and compact Al2O3 scale layer. However, even 8-10 at% Nb contents were not sufficient in cyclic oxidation at 870°C. Small addition of Si, B, C and Hf does not appear to influence the oxidation behavior. The addition of 1 at% Mo did not improve the oxidation resistance under both isothermal nor cyclic oxidation condition.
Keywords: titanium aluminide, high temperature, air oxidation, alloying, Nb addition