Mechanism of hot corrosion of IN-738

The Na2SO4 - induced hot corrosion of IN-738 in the temperature range 900 C to 1000 C is characterized by an initiation stage during which the corrosion rate is slow followed by a propagation stage during which the corrosion rate is markedly accelerated. In the second stage, corrosion is accelerated due essentially to a sulfidation/oxidation mechanism; in the third stage, the rate becomes catastrophic due to acid fluxing induced by an accumulation of refractory metal oxides (particularly MoO3) in the Na2SO4. The sequential stages in the corrosion process are described and a mechanism proposed. The influence of alloy microstructure on the corrosion mechanism is also discussed