Thermodynamics of Titanium-Aluminum-Oxygen Alloys Studied

Titanium-aluminum alloys are promising intermediate-temperature alloys for possible compressor applications in gas-turbine engines. These materials are based on the a2-Ti3Al + g-TiAl phases. The major issue with these materials is high oxygen solubility in a2-Ti3Al, and oxidation of unsaturated alloys generally leads to mixed non-protective TiO2+Al2O3 scales. From phase diagram studies, oxygen saturated a2-Ti3Al(O) is in equilibrium with Al2O3; however, oxygen dissolution has a detrimental effect on mechanical properties and cannot be accepted. To better understand the effect of oxygen dissolution, we examined the thermodynamics of titanium-aluminum-oxygen alloys.