Effect of Rhenium Addition on Isothermal Oxidation Behavior of Tribaloy T-800 Alloy

The effects of 4 wt% rhenium (Re) addition on isothermal oxidation behavior of Tribaloy T-800 alloy have been studied at 800 °C and 1 000 °C in air. At 800 °C, T-800 shows nonuniform oxidation between dendritic and eutectic areas. Re addition clearly promotes the nonuniform oxidation, leading to considerably higher mass gains than that of T-800 at this temperature. At 1 000 °C exposure, the thickness of scale on T-800 increases significantly, accompanied by severe scale spallation during cooling to room temperature. On the contrary, T-800Re shows a marked decrease of oxide growth rate compared to the linear one of T-800 at 1 000 °C. The scale adhesion is also improved with Re addition at this higher temperature. Therefore, the role of Re depends on the exposure temperature. Re addition gives high oxidation rate at 800 °C, however, the excellent oxidation resistance is obtained by the addition of Re at a higher temperature of 1 000 °C.