Cyclic Oxidation Behavior of Conventional and Niobium-Modified MAR-M246 Superalloy at 900 and 1000 °C

Nickel-based superalloys have excellent properties at high temperatures, which makes them appropriate for applications such as turbocharges and aeronautic gas turbines. MAR-M246 is a superalloy developed for these kinds of applications. The objective of this work was to study the total replacement of Ta by Nb in atomic percentage for this superalloy, regarding the oxidation resistance. Although both elements have the same role (form the γ’ precipitates) in nickel-based superalloys, Ta is more expensive than Nb. Thus, this replacement leads to the possibility of a price reduction. This work studied both conventional MAR-M246(Ta) and experimental MAR-M246(Nb) on cyclic oxidation tests at 900 and 1000 °C for up to 180 cycles. The oxide products were characterized by SEM/EDS and XRD analysis. The products of oxidation were mainly TiO₂, Al₂O₃, Cr₂O₃, NiO, and Ni(Co)Cr₂O₄. Mass gain variation per unit area was stable for both materials and temperatures. However, spalled areas were detected for tests performed at 1000 °C. The results obtained here suggest that use of Nb instead of Ta can be considered regarding high temperature oxidation for MAR-M246 superalloy.