During a recent high-temperature work, it was discovered that a high-temperature coating on a single crystal casting had completely failed after 1000 hours of exposure in a hot corrosion environment. Though previous tests showed this coating was somewhat resistant to hot corrosion at 1650 °F (899 °C), our results revealed catastrophic corrosion penetration of both the coating and the alloy substrate.
Differences in chemical compositions between a coating and a substrate alloy can lead to interdiffusion between these materials that can modify the oxidation and corrosion resistance of the coating and the mechanical properties of the coating-substrate system. The stress state may also
significantly influence and increase the magnitude of the interdiffusion that may lead to deleterious precipitation reactions. The crystal orientation or alloy phase of the substrate may also contribute to
interdiffusion rates. This paper will look at the chemistry of a high-temperature coating and a substrate alloy before and after exposure to a hot corrosion environment to evaluate the degree of interdiffusion and discern what mechanistic pathways may cause precipitation reactions deleterious to alloy/coating performance.
KEYWORDS: high temperature coatings, aluminide coatings, sulfidation, hot corrosion, interdiffusion, segregation, transport, diffusion