Oxidation behavior of Nb-16Si-20Ti-3Al containing nano-ZrC fabricated by laser melting deposition

The effects of nano-ZrC addition on the oxidation resistance of Nb-Si-Ti-based alloy were studied. The results showed that the alloys with different nano-ZrC additions all followed the mixed parabolic law during first 50 h oxidation. However, the oxidation law of the alloys was linear during 50–100 h oxidation. An appropriate amount of nano-ZrC addition improved the oxidation resistance of the alloy, with reduced oxidation weight gain and decreased the oxidation rate constant. The reason was that the nano-ZrC addition refined the microstructure, and promoted the formation of a continuous SiO2 layer, making the oxide layer have better integrity and protection.