Effects of oxygen and oxidation on tensile behavior of V-(4-5)Cr(4-5)Ti alloys

Vanadium-base alloys are potential candidates for applications such as the first wall and other structural components of fusion reactors, but a good understanding of the oxidation behavior of the alloys intended for elevated-temperature use is essential. The authors conducted a systematic study to determine the effects of time and temperature of air exposure on the oxidation behavior and microstructure of V-4Cr-4Ti and V-5Cr-5Ti alloys. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted at room temperature and at 500 C on preoxidized specimens of the alloys to examine the effects of oxidation time and oxygen migration on maximum engineering stress and uniform and total elongation. The effect of preexposure of the specimens to environments with varying oxygen partial pressures on the tensile properties of both alloys was investigated. Extensive microstructural analyses of the oxygen-exposed/tensile-tested specimens were conducted to evaluate the cracking propensity for the alloys. In addition, tensile-property data for the alloys were correlated with oxygen pressure in the exposure environment, test temperature, and exposure time