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Samples of RR1000 with differing grain size and surface finish have been exposed to air at different pressures. Specimens were exposed for 4000 hours at 650°C with some exposed to atmospheric pressure air and some exposed to air at 40 bar pressure. Samples exposed to elevated pressure formed a surface layer of NiCr2O4 whereas that formed on samples tested at 1 bar pressure was chromia. The surface layer formed at 40 bar pressure was thinner than that a 1 bar pressure. At 1 bar pressure, some samples exhibited regions of convoluted buckled oxides but no spallation. In adjacent regions of planar oxides, spallation did occur. For the latter case, an estimate of 6 Jm-2 for the interfacial fracture energy has been made. None of the specimens tested at 40 bar pressure exhibited oxide spallation.

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Improved oxidation kinetics for a polycrystalline Ni-based superalloy used in turbine disc applications has been shown to be possible by controlling the heating rate of the first thermal exposure to 5 °C min−1. The beneficial effect arises from the formation of a protective layer of NiCr2O4, instead of the more usually formed doped Cr2O3. This study shows that it was possible to form the NiCr2O4 at temperatures up to 725 °C, within the operational conditions for this alloy, and that at higher temperatures Cr2O3 formed. The improvements in alloy performance extended to the internal oxidation processes where reduced depths of degradation were observed. It is demonstrated here that Al2O3 formation is less thermodynamically stable when the highly protective NiCr2O4 oxide is present at the alloy surface compared to the doped Cr2O3. Synchrotron XRD was performed on samples removed during the heating stage and provided evidence of the oxidation sequence occurring, enabling refinement in the thermodynamic calculations and suggesting an additional route to the formation of the NiCr2O4.