The effect of high temperature corrosion on mechanical behavior of a gamma-TiAl alloy

The mechanical properties of Ti-48Al-2Cr-2Nb alloy were discussed after the high temperature corrosion tests carried out with salt mixture of 75wt. % Na₂SO₄ and 25wt. % NaCl at 800°C. The microstructure of the alloy after corrosion was observed by SEM and the fracture behavior of the corroded and uncorroded alloys was investigated by means of the three-point bending tests. It has been shown that the corrosion path was mainly along the lamellar structure and rough surface with a large number of corrosion pits formed during the high temperature corrosion. The experimental results also indicated that the bearing capacity of bending fracture descended evidently due to the molten salt corrosion at high temperature, which only had remarkable effects on the surface state of the alloy. The microcracks inside the alloy always propagated along the phase interfaces and grain boundaries while the corrosion pits on salt-deposited surface became the main crack initiation location in corroded alloy. The stress concentration caused by corrosion was considered as the essential reason of the property reduction, which decreased the energy barrier of crack nucleation and shortened the incubation period.