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For alloys with 2.25 wt.% aluminum or more, the mass loss during hydrogen reduction corresponded to between 40% and 50% of the gain during the previous oxidation. This suggests that during oxidation upon heating to 1,000°C at 10°C/min., slightly more than 50% of the mass gain is due to oxidation of aluminum. Thus, during heating in air, the aluminum provides these alloys some oxidation resistance but a single dense layer is not formed and mixed oxidation takes place.
To confirm and extend the oxidation rates obtained in the TGA apparatus, other tests were conducted with larger samples exposed to air for extended periods of time in a muffle furnace. At 800°C, the 1 wt.% aluminum alloy oxidizes at a rate comparable to that of pure copper, while the 2 wt.% aluminum alloy has a rate of oxidation five times slower than pure copper. This lower rate appears to contradict the results from the TGA, showing that the 2 wt.% aluminum alloy oxidizes at about the same rate as copper. However, in the early oxidation stage, the 2 wt.% aluminum alloy oxidizes similarly to copper, just as in the TGA. This initial rate increment may be due to the development of the internal oxidation layer. Once such a layer has formed, the alumina that has precipitated may serve as a diffusion barrier, nearly stopping the further oxidation.
At 1,000°C, the 1 wt.%, 2 wt.%, and 2.5 wt.% aluminum alloys are unable to prevent copper oxidation. Indeed, the rates of oxidation of the 1 wt.% and 2 wt.% aluminum alloys are faster than that of pure copper. The 2.5 wt.% aluminum alloy has a rate comparable to pure copper, but as more aluminum is added to the copper, the oxidation rate decreases drastically. Both the 3 wt.% and 4 wt.% aluminum alloys oxidize at a rate three orders of magnitude slower than pure copper.
The parabolic rate constants for the different alloys tested were determined by plotting the square of the mass gained versus the time and fitting the data with the least squares method. The slopes of the resulting straight lines represent the corresponding parabolic rate constants shown in Figure 5. In order to illustrate what aluminum content is required to satisfactorily protect copper, three distinct zones of rate constants were defined. The first zone is for excellent protection. The 3 wt.% and 4 wt.% aluminum alloys fall in this category since they oxidize at an extremely slow rate at every test temperature. In addition, microscopic investigations show that no major oxidation products were formed. Other alloys that present limited excellent protection are the 2.25 wt.% aluminum up to 850°C and the 2.5 wt.% aluminum alloy up to 900°C. Up to about 700°C, the 2 wt.% aluminum alloy also provides excellent oxidation resistance. The un-alloyed copper and the 1 wt.% aluminum alloy are both basically unsuitable for any application at or above 500°C.
In the case of rate constants that are greater than 10 mg^sup 2^/cm^sup 4^/h, excellent regression was obtained with the regression coefficient R^sup 2^ above 0.95. On the other hand, for small values of the rate constants, the fit was significantly poorer. This means that with insufficient aluminum for protection, oxidation is described well by the standard diffusion barrier of the oxide layer formed. However, when sufficient amounts of aluminum are added this is no longer the case. It is proposed that as the oxidation proceeds, aluminum from the bulk region inside the oxide layer has time to diffuse outward toward the oxidizing front. This will effectively increase the local aluminum concentration and therefore also the oxidation resistance. The enrichment of aluminum may also lead to the exchange of copper oxide with aluminum to form alumina and metallic copper. In this manner, the oxidation process will deviate negatively from the parabolic rate law and instead follow more closely a cubic or logarithmic rate behavior. The concentration profiles of aluminum through the 2 wt.% and 2.25 wt.% aluminum alloys, both oxidized at 850°C during 21 h, are shown in Figure 6. Such concentration profiles confirm that when the alloy surface is enriched with aluminum, the oxidation resistance improves.
At temperatures greather than 800°C, the 1 wt.% and 2 wt.% aluminum alloys exhibited a thick external oxide scale. This scale consisted mainly of Cu^sub 2^O, and some CuAlO^sub 2^ dispersed in the external scale near to the alloy core. Some traces of CuO also were detected. This means that, at these temperatures, there is insufficient aluminum in the alloy to form a protective alumina layer, allowing copper to diffuse outward. Alloys with less than 3 wt.% aluminum will fail rapidly if they are exposed to oxidizing environments at or around 1,000°C.
The 2 wt.% aluminum alloy showed the existence of the three cases of microstructural features previously illustrated in Figure 1. At the lowest test temperature (500°C), type I morphology was present, while at 700°C, type II morphology was evident.
Finally, at and above 800°C, the third kind of microstructure was present as seen in Figure 7 for a 2 wt.% aluminum alloy oxidized at 850°C for 21 h. As the temperature increased, more copper oxide precipitates were present throughout the alloy and the thickness of the different layers contained in the oxidized samples increased. Copper oxide forms an external oxide layer beyond the alumina-rich layer. Due to insufficient aluminum, the alumina layer is not capable of preventing the continuous diffusion of copper outward to form a growing oxide layer. In the case of the 4 wt.% aluminum alloy, it basically exhibited the first and the second type of morphologies. However, the sample oxidized at 1,000°C in pure oxygen showed a small external scale without any of the other oxide layers previously cited. Such morphological features are summarized in Table I. Also shown in this table are the phases detected after performing x-ray diffraction on the oxidized samples.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Funding for this project from CONA-CyT (México) and NSERC (Canada) is greatly appreciated.
For more information, contact Gabriel Plascencia, University of Toronto, Materials Science & Engineering Department, 184 College St., Toronto, ON, Canada, M5S 3E4; (416) 978-0912; fax (416) 978-4155; e-mail g.plascencia@utoronto.ca.
References
1. J. Merry, J. Sarvinis, and N. Voerman, "Designing Modern Furnace Cooling Systems," JOM, 52 (2) (2000), pp. 62-64.
2. G. Plascencia (Ph.D. thesis, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, April 2004).
3. D.R Whittle, Oxidation Mechanisms for Alloys in Single Oxidant Gases," Proceedings of the High Temperature Corrosion Conference, ed. R.A. Rapp (Houston, TX: NACE, 1981), pp. 171-183.
4. G.G. Wood, "High Temperature Oxidation of Alloys," OxW. Metals, 2(1) (1970), p. 11.
5. G.G. Wood and RH. Stott, "The Development and Growth of Protective α-Al^sub 2^O^sub 3^ Scales on Alloys," Proceedings of the High Temperature Corrosion Conference, ed. R.A. Rapp (Houston, TX: NACE, 1981), pp. 227-249.
Gabriel Plascencia, Torstein Utigard, and Tanai Marín are with the Materials Science & Engineering Department at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada.
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