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Simultaneous oxidation and sigma-phase formation in a stainless steel

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Abstract

Oxidation of 347 austenitic stainless steel and the simultaneous formation of σ phase have been investigated, in the temperature range 650 °C to 816 °C. Oxidation rates for both 0.09-mm foil and 2.29-mm sheet were found to obey parabolic kinetics in the early stages of growth. However, significant departures from parabolic growth leading to accelerated oxidation occurred at 816 °C, after about 2500 hours in the thin foil and 10,000 hours in the thicker sheet material. Sigma-phase precipitation occurred throughout the temperature range, with a pronounced precipitate-free zone (PFZ) near the metal surface. The PFZ (which occurred as a result of Cr depletion) increased in width as a function of time and temperature. This observation was taken as evidence that the surface oxidation reaction was not limited by the Cr depletion associated with the formation of σ phase. Mathematical modeling of the Cr content at the metal/oxide interface together with an experimental observation of a “breakaway” condition of accelerated oxidation (at high temperature) was used to predict the oxidation-limited lifetime for the 0.09-mm foil at lower temperatures. Calculated Cr-depletion profiles, which corresponded closely with experimental data, resulted in depletion profile widths that corresponded closely with those for the σ-phase PFZs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. the Department of Applied Mechanics and Engineering Sciences, University of California, 92093-0411, San Diego, CA

    Andrew J. Strutt (Assistant Project Scientist) & Kenneth S. Vecchio (Associate Professor)

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  1. Andrew J. Strutt
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  2. Kenneth S. Vecchio
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Strutt, A.J., Vecchio, K.S. Simultaneous oxidation and sigma-phase formation in a stainless steel. Metall Mater Trans A 30, 355–362 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-999-0324-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-999-0324-1

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