Abstract
Fe-C alloys containing 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0% C were oxidized in 1 atm O2 at 500°C. Two specimen preparations were used: annealed followed by slow cooling to form coarse pearlite plus proeutectoid ferrite or cementite; and cold-worked by abrading after annealing. The cold-worked alloys oxidize more rapidly. Annealed pearlite oxidizes faster than annealed ferrite. The differences in oxidation rate are caused by differences in the Fe3O4 grain size, that is, by the number of oxide grain boundaries available to act as easy diffusion paths for the outward diffusion of Fe through the Fe3O4. The oxidation rate constant is 10 times larger for fine-grained poly crystalline oxide than for oxide in which the Fe3O4 is monocrystalline.
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Caplan, D., Sproule, G.I., Hussey, R.J. et al. Oxidation of Fe-C alloys at 500°C. Oxid Met 12, 67–82 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00609975
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00609975