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RESEARCH PRODUCT

Study of tantalum hemicarbide (Ta2C) production by low pressure carburizing

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Tantalum is a very dense metal (d = 16.6) and has a very high melting temperature of 2996°C. This material is particularly required for crucibles used for pyrochemical applications. Early studies show that a carburizing treatment enhances corrosion resistance from liquid metals. Indeed, the intergranular attack of tantalum is stopped by Ta2C precipitates, which occupy the grain boundary regions. The production of the carbon saturated tantalum with Ta2C precipitates requires a good understanding of tantalum carburizing.A carburizing treatment on tantalum sample causes the emergence of a TaC layer on surface and Ta2C layer just below. A reduction of carbon flow has enabled the study of the first steps of tantalum carbides formation. This specific condition of carburizing leads to an epitaxic growth of carbide layers on tantalum substrate. EBSD analysis highlights the crystallographic relations between each phase.Tantalum carbide layers are highly carbon concentrated. So the growth of carbide layers has to be controlled during the carburizing treatment. Several parameters may affect carbide layers growth : process parameters (time and temperature of carburizing treatment) and external parameters such as the reactive surface of the samples. The influence of these parameters on tantalum carbide growth kinetics has been studied. In addition, the diffusion of carbon in tantalum has been modeled with CASTEM© software. Experimental data are used to compute parameters of the model, such as carbon diffusion coefficient in tantalum.Other microstructures than TaC can be obtained on surface by applying an annealing treatment after carburizing. With this treatment, the carbon contained on surface diffuses to the bulk of the metal. Annealing treatment parameters have been determined to get on surface TaC, or Ta2C, or carbon saturated tantalum with Ta2C precipitates.