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Recent Developments in Chromium and Chromium Alloys

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Summary

Chromium-base alloys, which have been under study now for slightly more than two decades, are attractive as potential competitors with nickel alloys for high temperature applications in advanced jet engines. Although chromium has a strength-to-density advantage over nickel, it is normally brittle at room temperature and is further embrittled by nitrogen during high temperature air exposure.

The high temperature strength of chromium can be increased three to fourfold by solution strengthening with elements such as tantalum, columbium, tungsten, molybdenum, and rhenium. However, solution strengthening involves a significant increase in the ductile-brittle transition temperature. Similar or larger improvements in the strength of chromium can be achieved by precipitate strengthening with borides, carbides, and nitrides of the Groups IVa and Va elements. These precipitates do not embrittle chromium to the same extent as do solution strengthening additions, and may even be ductilizing. Coarsening rate estimates suggest that carbides at least should retain sufficiently fine sizes as to be strengthening for times of 1000 hours or longer at 2000°–2200°F.

Nitrogen is particularly deleterious to the ductility of chromium because of its high solubility at elevated temperatures and the nature of the Cr2N precipitate. Nitrogen embrittlement of chromium during high temperature exposure can be reduced by rare earth alloying, but the effectiveness of these additions is reduced on further alloying for high temperature strength.

A total of twelve chromium alloys can be classified as recently developed or currently under development. These include five from the United States, three from Australia, and four from Russia. The strongest of these alloys offer up to a 150°F temperature advantage over nickel alloys, but the impact ductile-brittle transition temperatures are high.

Future work on chromium should include further development of protective coating or surface alloying techniques to reduce nitrogen embrittlement, and emphasis on dispersion strengthening to achieve a better balance between high temperature strength and low temperature ductility.

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    W. D. Klopp (Head of the Refractory Metals Section)

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Klopp, W.D. Recent Developments in Chromium and Chromium Alloys. JOM 21, 23–32 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03378794

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