(X=Mo, Nb, V, Zr) with Ho.T Gazes. Example of Nitriding.·
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TITANIUM'99: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY A Method for Scanning the Reaction Behaviour of Ti-X alloys (X=Mo, Nb, V, Zr) with Ho.t Gazes. Example of Nitriding.· A. GUILLOU, J.P. BARS, D. ANSEL, J. DEBUIGNE .. INSA Rennes, GRCM,.20 Av. des Buttes de Coesmes, F-35043, Rennes Cedex, France. ANNOTATION The study of the reaction behavior of binary or more complicated alloys with hot gases is difficult and time consuming. The study of reactions of hot gases with diffusion couples is a method for direct scanning the reaction behavior of alloys of various compositions. Sufficient initial knowledge of diffusion properties allows very valuable results to be obtained. This method is applied to the study of the reaction of the Ti-Mo, Ti-Nb, Ti-V and Ti-Zr beta solid-solutions with nitrogen. Keys words : Nitriding, Titanium alloys, Beta-stabilizer elements, Diffusion 1. INTRODUCTION The study of phases grown during diffusion in interdiffusion couples is a well known method for assessing binary phase diagrams. Fast and valuable results can be obtained if: i) the hypothesis of local equilibrium applies, ii) the kinetics of diffusion and growth allow the fonnation of all the phases thennodynamically stable at the interdiffusion temperature. In the reverse, the knowledge of binary phase diagrams allows, for example, the analysis of the oxidation of pure metals and also of dilute alloys to some extent. When systems are no more binary or quasi binary, the study of solid state diffusion and reaction of alloys with hot gases can become very complicated and time consuming. This is a stumbling block as far as the research goal to find an.alloy composition meeting well defined requirements for industrial applications. To overcome these time consuming investigations, we propose an experimental method evolved from our solid state interdiffusion researches : the reaction of hot gases on a cross-section of diffusion couples previously interdiffused. In that way the characteristics of the gas-alloy reactions can be obtained simultaneously over a large composition range. This gives a panoramic view in composition for the reaction of hot gases with alloys. Similar experiments have been carried out by various authors for multicomponent solid state diffusion studies and phase diagram detenninations. In each :case the results · can be graphically represented as diffusion paths in isothermal sections of multicomponent phase diagrams [ 1,2]. Our method is applied to the investigation of the nitriding of binary alloys, at temperatures for which a single solid solution is observed for the whole composition range. As examples we present the nitriding ofTi-X (X = V, Mo, Nb, Zr) beta solid solutions at high temperatures. Studies of the reaction of nitrogen with diffusion couples between other titanium alloys are under development in our laboratory. Other reacting gases can also be used. These studies imply preliminary quantitative interdiffusion detenninations between Ti and X [3,4]. 2. EXPERIMENT AL PROCEDURES Diffusion couples are made of two pellets cut from metals ingots. Faces to be in contact are carefully polished to obtain flat surfaces. The properly diffusion stage is preceded by a short welding stage called prediffusion while the two pellets are mechanically maintained in contact. Only one fast thennal cycle around the a/P transus of titanium is necessary to have a good prediffusion. The diffusion in P phase that gives a large concentration gradient zone is carried out at high temperature in a r.f. furnace (I 0 kHz) in purified argon. The experimental devices have already been described earlier [5]. The diffusion time has been chosen in order to obtain a concentration gradient zone about 4 mm width. Couples are then cut perpendicularly to the diffusion interface and polished. The one part allows the detennination of the diffusion profiles by EPMA and the other is used for the reactions studies with hot gases. Since the Ka N and L! Ti emission lines overlap, we use a deconvolution software. The EPMA determinations are accurate to within 0.5 at.% for the metals and I at.% for N. The 900 TITANIUM'99: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY interdiffusion coefficients are calculated by the Den Broeder method taking into account the molar volume variation. At low concentration the diffusion coefficients are obtained by Hall's method. The other parts of the couples are nitrided in nitrogen (quality N60 supplied by Air Liquide) in a r.f. furnace (500 kHz). 3. INTERDIFFUSION RESULTS Typical diffusion profiles are given on figure I. The shape of the concentration-penetration curve in the diffusion couple shows the variation of the diffusion coefficient with composition : For the beta stabilizer elements (Mo, Nb; Y), these curves show a strong variation of the diffusion coefficients with respect to concentration and specially for the Ti-Mo system. 100 ..------------------.---, 100 ..-----------------~~ 1600 ·c. B1oo s 1600 ·c - 14400 s BO . :c BO ~ z '#- :: 60 .!!!. ! 60 c .§ 0 i! c 40 ~ 40 8 c 5c 8 8 20 20 0 200 400 600 BOO 1000 1200 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 penetration (µm) penetration (µm) 100 ------------------------------- 100 -------·--- 1 1550 ·c -21600 s 1450 "C • 3BBO s 80 80 ;G' *! 60 c 0 i E 40 ~ c 8 20 20 I o~~.----.~~::::::::::_____---'"-------~- 0 -1----~--~-~------------l o 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 penetration (µm) penetration (µm) Figure I : Interdiffusion profiles This strong concentration dependence explains the behaviors of the various alloys during their high temperatures nitriding and the diffusion profiles give immediately infonnations about the quality of the future results of the nitriding reactions. When a sharp decrease of the diffusion coefficient is observed in a range of concentrations, the interdiffusion zone is then not wide enough for a good description of the nitriding reaction. If the phase diagram shows phases with limited single phase fields, the related interdiffusion zones must be wide enough for analysis to be possible. For low concentrations in beta stabilizer element, greatest is the size of the atom, lowest seems to be the diffusion of the element. As illustration Table 1 represents interdiffusion coefficient at I 400°C versus atomic radius of the element (for a composition of 5 at.%). interdiffusion coefficient atomic radius element (5 at.%) 9 2 1 (I 0· cm .s" ) (run) --- ·-· Nb --- 14.1 0.146 Mo - - 19.6 0.139 v 65.7 0.134 Table I : lnterdiffusion coefficients at I 400°C for low contents of beta stabilizer elements. 901 TITANIUM'99: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 4. NITRIDING OF TITANIUM-X DIFFUSION COUPLES If Xis a beta stabilizer element (as Mo, Nb or V), nitriding of diffusion couples gives similar results. They.are presented for a nitriding temperanire of l 400°C in figures 2, 4 and 6. Zr is. a "neutrai' element" and gives different results. · For the low concentrations of alloying element nitriding gives the same layers as in the case of the nitriding of pure ti_tanium : an external 8 nitride layer_(fcc structure) with an underlying a solid solution layer (hexagm_lal structure). The difference in the grey level indicates the .0/'8 transition, In- these layers the X concentration is always low and this element is repelled in the core of the sample. This ·effect is .lower for Zr. A low. X concentration (Table 2) is sufficient to slow down the kinetics of the a layer development. For higher beta stabilizer element concentrations, the 8 and a phases expand no more in form of a layer but in form of grains separated by beta metallic matrix zones. Above a typical concentration the nitrogen penetration is strongly slowed down for Mo and Nb, but increased for V. · In some samples the innermost part of the external 8-Ti N 1., nitride layer or some precipitates undergo a transformation to E-Ti 2N subnitride (tretragonal structure). The continuity of the titanium profile through this phase shows unambiguously that this phase forms on cooling, because of the too low cooling rate. Its formation ·is a supplementary proofofthe virtually absence of molybdenum, niobium, vanadium or zirconium. · In the core of Ti-Mo or Ti-V samples, the P phase (bee structure) is not transformed during cooling. But in this matrix one can notice very thin precipitates with a thickness lower than 1 µm. X-ray emission images show that they are composed of titanium and nitrogen but the concentrations are not measurable considering their small size. These precipitates probably form during cooling : the P(Ti,X) solid. solution rejects a(Ti) during the monotectold transformatil:m proposed by the Ti-Mo and Ti-V phase diagrams [6]. Temperature of nitriding: - 1400°C Alloying element Mo Nb v Zr Duration of nitriding 6h 3h lhlO 3h 8-(Ti,X)N1., layer mean width (µm) 30 20 20 limits of at.% min 3 8 4 large area* at.% max 10 18 -30 needled area starting composition (at.%) 20 25 cx-(Ti,X)(N) max width (µm) 210 110 86 105 'layer start of width decrease( at.%)· -1 3 4.5 end (at.%) -3 8 9 50 -· ' internal islands higher core cone. (at.%) .-15 20 * correspond with the lower and higher core concentrations where large 8 area is observed. Table 2. Comparative c~aracteristics for the nitrfding of Mo, Nb,V, Zr. I . , ' . 4.1. Nitriding of titanium-molybdenum couple (figure 2). The phases observed and the metallographic features are the same as for nitrided pure titanium if the molybdenum conc.entration is lower than· I at.%. From outside the layers ·observed are 8-TiN 1., and 'a(Ti,N). The molybdenum concentration in these layers is lower ·than 0'.2 at.%. For this reason we have noted 8-TiN 1., rather than 8-(Ti,Mo)N 1., The core of the sample shows a characteristic a microstructure martensitically· transformed from the high temperature p phase during cooling.