Increasing the heat resistance of vanadium by siliciding

The purpose of this article was to evaluate the influence of modifier metals on the protective properties of silicide coatings in heating of vanadium in air and also on the mechanical properties of type VnM-2 unalloyed vanadium and VTsU alloy. Coatings were produced by diffusion impregnation from molten sodium with silicon or silicides of the modifying elements. The silicides of titanium, zirconium, hafnium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, chromium, tungsten, rhenium, and nickel were investigated using x-ray spectrometric and hardness investigations and x-ray diffractometric analysis. The protective properties of the coatings were determined from the relative change in weight of the samples with and without coatings during isothermal oxidation in air at 1073/sup 0/K and also by differential thermal analysis. The influence of the coating on the mechanical properties of the material was also investigated using a borosilicide coating. High-temperature vacuum annealing was assessed as a method for restoring the plastic properties and relieving the stresses of vanadium and VTsU alloy subsequent to coating.