Low-temperature Formation of Aluminide Coatings on Ni-base Superalloys by Pack Cementation Process

This article investigates the low-temperature formation of aluminide coatings on a Ni-base superalloy by pack cementation process. The pack cemented coatings characteristic of high density and homogeneity possess a two-layer structure. The top layer mainly consists of Al3Ni2 and Al3Ni, while the bottom layer of Al3Ni2. Great efforts are made to elucidate the effects of different experimental parameters on the microstructure and the constituent distribution of the coatings. The results show that all the parameters exclusive of the pack activator (NH4Cl) content produce effect on the coating thickness, but do not on the microstructure and the constituent distribution. The pack activator (NH4Cl) content affects neither the coating thickness nor structure and constituent distribution. The parabolic relationship between the coating thickness and the deposition time suggests that the process is diffusion-controlled. Furthermore, the article demonstrates a linear relationship between the coating thickness and the reciprocal deposition temperature.