| A systems-based approach, integrating computational modeling with experimental techniques to approach engineering problems in a time and cost efficient manner, was employed to design a Nb-based refractory superalloy for use at 1300°C. Ashby-type selection criteria for both thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were employed to identify a suitable protective oxide for Nb alloys. Yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) was selected as the most promising candidate for its excellent combination of desirable properties.; The alloy microstructural concept was based upon the gamma - gamma' nickel-based superalloys in which the multifunctional gamma' phase serves as both a creep strengthening dispersion and a source of reactive elements for oxide passivation. Candidate ternary Pd-Y-Al and Pt-Y-Al compounds were fabricated and characterized by XRD and DTA. Of the intermetallics studied, only PtYAl had a high enough melting point (1580°C) for use in an alloy operating at 1300°C.; The alloy matrix design was based upon Wahl's extension of Wagner's criterion for protective oxidation, requiring a reduction of the product N ODO/DAl by 5 orders of magnitude relative to binary Nb-Al. A thermodynamic and kinetic analysis identified elements with large oxygen affinities as the most beneficial for reducing the magnitude of the quantity NOD O. Construction of a combined thermodynamic and mobility database identified increased Al solubility as the best approach for increasing D Al.; Utilizing the thermodynamic and mobility databases, obtained from a combination of model alloys, oxidation experiments, and first principles calculations, theoretical designs predicted the large changes in solubility and transport parameters were achievable. Several prototype alloys were then fabricated and evaluated via oxidation tests at both 1300°C and 1100°C. YAG formation was demonstrated as part of multicomponent oxide scales in the alloys that exhibited the greatest reduction in oxidation rates. The oxidation rates achieved were slightly greater than the IHPTET Phase III recession rate objective at 1300°C and well below it at 1100°C.; The demonstrated oxidation rates support the predicted potential of YAG as a protective oxide scale for 1300°C Nb-based alloys. The successful invention of both a new protective scale and the internal phases to support its formation attests to the power of computational materials design. |
