Mechanisms in the simultaneous erosion-oxidation attack of nickel and cobalt at high temperature

An apparatus is described by which a specimen may be exposed to a well-defined erosive gas stream containing 20 μm alumina particles. Samples of nickel and cobalt were exposed to conditions of erosion and high temperature oxidation simultaneously, using 90 deg impact angle, at velocities up to 140 m/s-1 and at temperatures up to 800 °C. From the results of erosion kinetics, surface morphologies, and cross section metallographic observations it is concluded that several definite regimes of interaction between erosion and oxidation exist. These regimes are described in qualitative terms, and it is shown how they arise as a result of the balance between the relative intensities of the erosion and oxidation processes.