Decarburization of Fe-Cr-C steels during high-temperature oxidation

Isothermal oxidation treatments were carried out on Fe-Cr-C steels. The steels containing 0.08, 0.15, 0.17, 0.88, 1.51, and 12.77wt.% Cr and 0.10, 0.49, 1.19, 0.18, 1.05, and 1.63 wt.% C were oxidized in ambient air at temperatures of 900, 1000, and 1200°C. Steels containing 13.22, 12.90, 12.52, and 12.77wt.% Cr and 0.15, 0.30, 0.50, and 1.63 wt.% C were heated (1100°C/3hr) in a flowing atmosphere of O₂-N₂-He in a SETARAM thermobalance. Evidence of decarburization of the steels is given by metallographic observations, by direct measurements of carbon diffusivities from the decarburization profiles in the oxidized samples, and by the results of kinetics measurements.³ Carbon diffusion coefficients were measured by the standard sectioning method in the samples oxidized in air. A. generalized equation for carbon diffusivity in Fe-Cr-C alloys is developed in terms of N_Cr[wt.%], N_C[wt.%], and T[K].