Till Örebro universitet

Oxidation of Alloy 718 manufactured by electron beam melting (EBM) process has been undertaken in ambient air at 650, 700, and 800 degrees C for up to 168 h. At 800 degrees C, a continuous external chromia oxide enriched in (Cr, Ti, Mn, Ni) and an internal oxide that was branched structure of alumina formed, whereas at 650 and 700 degrees C, a continuous, thin and protective chromia layer was detected. The oxidation kinetics of the exposed EBM Alloy 718 followed the parabolic rate law with an effective activation energy of similar to 248 +/- 22 kJ/mol in good agreement with values in the literature for conventionally processed chromia-forming Ni-based superalloys. The oxide scale formed on the surface perpendicular to the build direction was slightly thicker, and more adherent compared to the scale formed on the surface along the build direction, attributed to the varied grain texture in the two directions of the EBM-manufactured specimens. The increased oxygen diffusion and high Cr depletion found on the surface along the build direction were attributed to the fine grains and formation of vacancies/voids along this grain orientation.