Delamination Morphology Maps of Chromium Oxide Scales Formed on Cr-Based Alloys
Résumé
The delamination processes occurring in chromia scales formed on Ni-30Cr and Fe-47Cr alloys were studied. Delamination is the result of the competition between growth stresses evolution during heating, thermal stresses during cooling, and stress release phenomena, leading to high residual stress in the oxide film. Delamination in chromia has been found to occur due to type and amount of residual stresses generated at the end of heating-induced chromia growth and subsequent cooling-induced differential shrinkage. The mapping of the residual stresses in the oxide films at the microscopic scale around the delaminations allow to classify the latter into three different groups: buckles of Type 1, buckles of Type 2, and spalls. Using the stress relaxation magnitude, an assessment of the interfacial toughness of the metal/oxide systems was carried out, thanks to the buckling and crack propagation theory in the oxide. From the value obtained, microscopic observations, and the residual stress maps, a diagram describing the spalling of the buckles for chromia scales is proposed, as well as the delamination maps of Fe-47Cr/Cr2O3 and Ni-30Cr/Cr2O3 systems specifying the conditions of existence of the obtained delamination features.